ROCK HILL, S.C. — The city of Rock Hill is holding a special called meeting tomorrow, Friday at 2 p.m.to follow-up on York County’s approval on the deal to bring the Carolina Panthers to Rock Hill.
Leaders will push through on plans at the city level.
After more than a year since the Carolina Panthers met with South Carolina’s Governor and lawmakers, York County Council passed the project by a vote of 4 to 3 on Monday.
Now, the deal which includes a state-of-the-art sports and medical facility, as well as the headquarters for the Panthers is in the hands of the city.
During the past year, Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys says the city has been working with the Carolina Panthers team on a number of agreements.
Things like how do they the bonds to pay for the work, what does the development mean for the layout of the land, the design of the road network inside the property and what will the signage look like.
Hopefully, in the next two weeks, Mayor Gettys says to look for the planning commission to possibly finalize some of those plans, adding we might see dirt moving on the property as early as next week.
The bottom line, the mayor says this is a time to celebrate the new growth and opportunities in our county.
“Our goal in Rock Hill in the next 30 years is how do we get from the core to the shore not far from linking that up and having the Carolina Panthers development come in and be an essential link in that regard,” Gettys said.
Dr. Britt Blackwell on York County Council voted in favor of the Carolina Panthers deal and says for him, it was the number of jobs this project is projected to bring that was real selling point.
He also says he was worried if York County did not pass this deal, it would have sent a message to state leaders and other businesses that the county might not be easy to work with on future projects.
Allison Love also voted in favor of the deal, saying the economics are fantastic for Rock Hill, the schools and York County. She believes it will help recession proof the Rock Hill area.
Chair of the York County Council Michael Johnson was one of the three who voted against the project.
During Monday’s meeting there were some concerns on virtual meetings, especially ones that involve larger projects, like the Panthers HQ.
As many as 20 or so people voiced their concerns and support for the Panthers project.
A few on county council and many residents were not happy with the format of the public comment portion.
Because of COVID-19, the meeting was held virtually and the council members were part of a large Online Zoom Meeting and residents could call in to make their point.
Many say the process was not easy to navigate nor did they feel this was the best way to hold a public comment meeting.
Some who called in against the Panthers project believe that a large issue, like this one, should be discussed at an in-person meeting, where they can better get their questions answered.
Some of the people who did weigh in during the public comment portion of the meeting voiced their frustrations when they realized their land was on the list of additional property included in the project,
As we reported earlier, there is an agreement that gives the Panthers immediate rights to receive the same incentives that are being offered on the original main parcel, the Hutchison property.
We’re talking an additional 800 acres – split up in parcels – within a defined radius of the Hutchison Property.
Several residents claimed they weren’t notified their land was included in the additional 800 acres the Panthers asked for.
One of those families, include the Pattersons who learned their land was in the acreage on Facebook.
Many asked the council members to postpone the vote until everyone could meet in person.
Councilman Joel Hamilton expressed many people had misinformation about the additional acreage but shouldn’t be concerned.
“It was a bit scary… it’s the fear of the unknown… we don’t know the intention and motivation,” Patterson said.
“There isn’t an impact and not a threat of an impact… it just enhances the value of that property,” Hamilton said.
Council woman Allison Love has asked for another meeting to clear up misconceptions brought up in the public comment section.
The Pattersons say they would be open to attending that meeting.
But the vote was taken and leaders say one big reason is so the county can move forward with other business that’s been on hold. If they pushed it back, the next meeting is set for June and some say we still might not be able to gather in large groups by then.
