Charlotte Sports Facility Funding Comes Through

The Charlotte City Council approved spending an additional $11.3 million to close the final funding gap for a sports and recreation center where a nonperforming mall used to be. To go along with last year’s allocation of $30 million, Eastland Yards has been given the green light. The project will entail a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports center and a companion outdoor hub featuring six multi-use, artificial turf fields. 

The indoor center will have the capacity for 10 full-sized basketball courts and be convertible for pickleball, volleyball, cheerleading and other tournaments, events and uses. The council’s vote increased the city government’s commitment to $41.3 million, or 62% of the estimated $67 million total cost.

Four private entities will contribute a combined $25.8 million to the $48 million construction cost for the indoor center ($32.6 million) and soccer complex ($15.4 million). The project is expected to generate $169 million a year.

City government bought the 80-acre former Eastland Mall property in 2012 and demolished the abandoned shopping mall the following year.