CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte city council has agreed to
study a proposal by business leaders to build a new downtown arena
and keep the Charlotte Hornets in town.
The chief executives of Bank of America, Wachovia and Duke
Energy gave the council until Feb. 11 to decide whether to accept
their offer last week of $100 million for the arena.
Council members voted 10-1 Monday night to give City Manager Pam
Syfert three weeks to analyze how much the city would have to pay,
where the public money would come from and where the building would
sit.
Hornets owners Ray Wooldridge and George Shinn say they need a
new arena with more luxury suites and club seats for the team to
make money. New Orleans already has an arena with those features,
and Wooldridge and Shinn are expected to file a plan with the NBA this week for a move.
Charlotte voters last year rejected a plan to build a new arena
to the Hornets owners' liking. Some residents attending the
council meeting said Monday's vote to explore the proposal by
corporate leaders ignored their will.
"The voters said 'no.' Do you not understand the 'n' or do you
not understand the `o'?" Charlotte businessman Jim Cherry said to
the council. "Y'all are spending like drunken sailors."
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