Charlotte Knights ask city, county to cover $26.6M in Truist Field renovations
The Charlotte Knights are eyeing a $40 million upgrade to Truist Field in uptown. The minor league baseball team wants Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte to help pay.
Read more Immediate suspension, dead pests: Worst Charlotte restaurant inspections in August
Knights Chief Operating Officer Dan Rajkowski asked the city for a $13.3 million investment in the stadium during a presentation to the city’s economic development and workforce committee on Tuesday. He’s asking the county for the same contribution in what would be an even three-way split with the Knights.
Diamond Baseball Holdings purchased the team in 2024. The ownership group has spent a little over $5 million on upgrades over the last two years, but wants to expand on those improvements through a public-private partnership.
“It’s not falling apart,” Rajkowski said of the 12-year-old stadium. “But it needs some investment and some infusion.”
The proposal did not specify how the money would be spent or what renovations the team is seeking taxpayer dollars to fund.
The city does not own the stadium or the land. But Rajkowski said Truist Field has an annual economic impact on Charlotte and Mecklenburg County of about $44.5 million, and more than 7.5 million people have attended events at the stadium since it opened in 2014.
Read more Charlotte Symphony locks in conductor through its 100th season. ‘Sends a message’
Truist Field hosted 75 Knights games and 177 non-game-day events last year, according to Rajkowski.
“Truist Field is a community asset. As with all sports and entertainment facilities, we must keep the building in first class conditions for what the citizens of the city of Charlotte deserve and expect,” Rajkowski’s presentation read.
The economic development and workforce committee did not immediately vote on the proposal. The Knights will return to the committee with more detail before the full City Council weighs in.
At-large Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield said she wanted more information on how this investment stacks up with other commitments, “so that we do not put future council and future residents in a financial situation that could have been avoided in 2026.”
Read more Why Blumenthal Arts quietly ended popular Charlotte International Arts Festival
