By Cameron Lee
October 14, 2024
The Charlotte Hornets have announced more details on the construction of their new state-of-the-art performance center, scheduled to break ground in early 2025. The site, located on 5th Street between Caldwell and Davidson in Uptown, will span over 160,000 square feet, including 100,000 square feet dedicated to training, practice, and recovery facilities.
In addition, the building will feature 2,500 square feet of ground-level retail space and a public plaza. Utilizing green building standards with a public art feature, the performance center will take up two acres of the 3.2-acre city-owned gravel parking lot across from the arena.
Design and construction partners for the project will include CAA Icon (strategic management consulting), Populous (venue design), and Gilbane Building Company and Charlotte-based R.J. Leeper (construction).
The Hornets have committed to covering any costs beyond the $30 million provided by the City of Charlotte (estimated to be $70-$100 million) into the practice facility, as part of a larger agreement that keeps the team in the city through at least 2045. With longtime partners Novant Health, Hornets Sports & Entertainment released a statement back in February stating the new performance center will be a “destination for leading-edge sports medicine and orthopedic care…as we work toward our vision of building the premier franchise in the NBA and having world-class facilities.”
“We’re excited to see the project team come together and the positive momentum…which will start to transform this part of Uptown by injecting needed retail and public gathering spaces, as well as helping to attract additional investment in Uptown,” said City of Charlotte Assistant City Manager Tracy Dodson in a press release.
The city of Charlotte approved a $215 million budget to renovate the Spectrum Center back in 2022, with an additional $60 million for a new practice facility. The plan was revised in March to $30 million for the performance center and $245 million for the arena renovations with the team gaining full ownership of the new facility. While the city of Charlotte owns the arena, it has been operated by the city’s NBA franchise (Bobcats and Hornets) since opening in October 2005. The first phase of renovations for the Spectrum Center were completed this month and will be fully unveiled for the Hornets home opener against the Heat on October 26.
The Hornets will break ground on the new performance center in early 2025, with an expected opening in time for the 2026-27 NBA season. Check out our 2024-25 Charlotte Hornets season preview.
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