Charlotte Knights envision developing their outfield

The Charlotte Knights envision developing their outfield, team COO Dan Rajkowski told reporters Thursday.

Why it matters: The team, 10,000-seat ballpark and pub were recently sold to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), a New York-based group that owns 35 minor-league baseball teams, by businessman Don Beaver and minority owner Bill Allen.

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• DBH's resources will allow the team to do a lot, Rajkowski said. "Development in the outfield is on the agenda."

What to expect: What will go in the outfield is to be determined, but it has to be "conducive and helpful for baseball," Rajkowski said. That could be concession stands, a restaurant, some additional seating or a hotel.

• When they looked at developing the site a few years ago, the idea was to add office space. Then the pandemic changed how people work and paused their conversations around developing the space.
• The part that would be redeveloped is about an acre behind the ballpark. The entire site, which includes the ballpark, is just over 7.5 acres.

Flashback: Renderings for the ballpark site, prior to its opening in 2014, included an office development with concession stands, additional team offices, a restaurant and other amenities in the outfield.

Charlotte's skyline looks different than it did a decade ago. Rendering: Courtesy of the Charlotte Knights Rendering: Courtesy of the Charlotte Knights A rendering from 2012. Rendering: Courtesy of the Charlotte Knights

The big picture: The Knights will continue to be operated by Rajkowski and out of Charlotte, DBH CEO Peter Freund said.

• Freund also confirmed to Axios DBH's interest in developing the outfield acre.
• There is also the possibility of adding more events beyond baseball and other seasonal events, such as concerts, like DBH is doing in other markets.

Between the lines: Renovations are underway or planned for several of Charlotte's sports facilities. The city and the county both contributed to the construction of the ballpark. The Knights paid for much of the $54 million project .

• "Clearly the message is out there that these types of buildings are generating jobs and economic impact, quality of life, valuable assets for the city and certainly we've gotta keep them up and be a first-class city like Charlotte is," Rajkowski said.

What's next: The 10-year-old ballpark is currently using its original video board, which the team plans to replace in time for the 2025 season. They also intend to put together a five-year plan for what else needs to be done.

• "We want to look at what's down the road," Rajkowski said.

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