Carolina Panthers reveal renderings of HQ, practice facility in Rock Hill, S.C.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) - The Carolina Panthers revealed renderings of their new headquarters and practice facility coming to Rock Hill.

It was a joint reveal from the Panthers, York County, and the City of Rock Hill. The mixed-use site is designed to host Tepper Sports & Entertainment and become a destination for people all over the region.

Construction recently began on the new practice facility and team headquarters, scheduled to be complete in 2023.

When completed, the development will include restaurants, retail, a healthcare facility, apartments, hotels, trails, and office space.

The facility will also include a 120,000-square foot indoor practice facility, a 113,000-square foot multipurpose sports and entertainment venue, and outdoor practice fields. The indoor practice field features 80-foot tall operable glass doors and can host athletic events and games, concerts, and other corporate events.

Among the team’s amenities will be a 20,000 square-foot weight room, a 6,000 square-foot locker room, and 5,000 square-foot hydrotherapy room to aid players' rehab and recovery.

Key public-facing areas within the development site are highlighted by “The Park.” That is the 5,000-seat outdoor, multipurpose stadium designed to host events like high school football games, soccer games, concerts, and more.

“The Grove” is the open space within the site that has a series of reflecting pools, lighting, and landscape.

“'The Park' itself, with its scalability between 5,000 and as high as 20,000, I think is a great platform for festivals, concerts — all kinds of large ticketed events,” Hart said. “We are working with the Rock Hill school district to make that available for high school sports, high school football, and all kinds of high school activities: proms, gatherings, conferences, and educational programs.”

There will also be approximately 2.5 miles of public trails connected to Rock Hill’s multi-use path system.

The project will include significant improvements to local infrastructure, including a new interchange off of I-77. Over 13,000 feet of new public streets and 2,600 parking spaces are planned in addition to the sidewalks and trails for cyclists, runners, and walkers.

“It’s all designed to look great, feel great, and spur great development opportunities for anyone who wants to come,” Hart said.

In April, York County leaders approved the incentive deal centered around the new headquarters and practice facility for the Panthers in Rock Hill.

It was one of the most significant public hearings York County held in years when the final procedural vote on the incentive deal, named “Project Avalanche” came.

Project Avalanche is an economic incentive deal related to the Carolina Panthers headquarters and practice site move from Charlotte to Rock Hill. The plan is to annex the site - currently surrounded by but not included in Rock Hill - into the city.

Full details about the incentive deal can be read on York County’s government website or the Rock Hill Herald.

According to the Rock Hill Herald, the incentive deal states the City of Rock Hill would forego all its property tax revenue from the Panthers project for up to the next 30 years. The Rock Hill School District would do the same for 75 percent of its revenue, and the county 65 percent. Money would be used for $225 million of infrastructure for the project.

Those taxing bodies would then receive funding from project growth after the incentive expires. The proposed deal notes a team investment in two phases, each at $500 million. City economic leaders in recent months said the total, with hotels and restaurants and a other constructions, could value out at $2 billion.

The Panthers bought both a 240-acre main site for the development off I-77 and Waterford Golf Club. The main team site will be about 270 acres. Councilwoman Christi Cox posted council will consider an incentive plan that covers 1,150 acres.

On April 24, Rock Hill City Council unanimously approved second reading and adoption of an ordinance authorizing execution of an interlocal agreement, welcoming the Panthers to Rock Hill.

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