‘Not just PNC Arena’: Wake joins Raleigh on plans for arena, convention center, hotel
READ MORE
PNC Arena & West Raleigh Development Plans
Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has a vision for both inside and outside PNC Arena that could entice fans to come early for games and stay after they’re over. Here is The News & Observer’s coverage of arena renovations and development plans for west Raleigh.
Expand All
This story was updated after Wake County’s vote on Aug. 21, 2023.
A revitalized Raleigh Convention Center and PNC Arena took an all-but-final step toward reality Monday when Wake County leaders joined Raleigh in approving a plan for spending tourism money over the next two decades.
“It’s just a monumental day for this board and this county,” Shinica Thomas, chair of the county commissioners, said before the unanimous vote.
Public and media attention has focused on PNC Arena, but the other projects being funded through taxes on hotel stays and prepared food and beverages are also important, commissioners said.
“This is not just PNC Arena,” Commissioner Vickie Adamson said. “It’s a lot of very exciting tourism infrastructure we get to add to Wake County, because we’re ready for it.”
What’s in the plan?
There are several big-ticket items in the spending plan, which will require final, formal approval this fall.
▪ Red Hat Amphitheater and Raleigh Convention Center: $25.6 million a year for 30 years that includes renovating the convention center, expanding the center to where Red Hat is now and moving the outdoor music venue one block south. The work will let the center hold another 20,000 people, doubling its existing capacity.
▪ PNC Arena: $21 million for 25 years that includes renovations to the arena and the development of land around the sports and concert venue.
‘This has been 25 years in the making,” Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said of the arena project last week. “When this site was first looked at and chosen I remember people saying ‘This will spur development.’ Well that never happened. Now, we have that commitment to redevelop this area and make it a sports and entertainment district.”
▪ The spending plan also has money for the Cary Indoor Sports Facility, a new downtown Raleigh hotel and other competitive projects. By law, hospitality tax money may only be used to support the arts and culture, sports and conventions.
Cary proposed building the sports facility, tentatively called The Center, for $193 million. The town was awarded $59 million in hospitality tax money for construction and debt costs two years ago from Raleigh and Wake County.
The project will occupy 10.9 acres on Buck Jones Road with three levels and include a parking deck, a 4,000-seat arena, a senior center, 12 basketball courts and a restaurant. The project could require a property tax increase for Cary residents.
Raleigh needs convention, hotel space
The plan for spending tourism money will enable Wake County to host events and visitors it doesn’t have room for now, Adamson said Monday, despite the Raleigh Convention Center staying busier than most centers. In fiscal 2023, it rented space to 154 events, booking nearly 90% of sellable dates, compared to 70% for most venues, officials said in a news release.
Still, not having more space is “one of the things we get critiqued on,” Baldwin said last week. “Conventions don’t come here. We don’t have enough convention space and we don’t have enough quality hotels. This will address that issue and allow us to expand our convention business.”
The Centennial Authority, the government-appointed board that oversees PNC Arena, voted to approve a long-term lease with the Carolina Hurricanes and a plan to develop the vacant land and parking lots around the arena.
The historic agreement extending the team’s lease through 2044 and approving $300 million in renovations to the building took more than a year to negotiate, The News & Observer previously reported.
Kristen Johnson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 5:37 PM.
