Baseball coming to downtown Fayetteville?
FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- The City of Fayetteville may be ready to "play ball" downtown. Local leaders are exploring the idea of building a baseball stadium right in the heart of the city.
The latest plans put a field of dreams at the south end of Murchison Road. For the past several years, the city has been quietly acquiring property in the area for a possible Minor League stadium between downtown and Fayetteville State University.
The city has even posted a rendering of a proposed stadium complex on its YouTube channel. Besides a stadium, it also includes mixed residential and retail development in the area. City Council Member Larry Wright says it's an investment in the community.
"I think it brings everything together. It's a win-win situation. When you look at bringing kids off the street, when you look at the taxes that come in, when you are looking at the family-oriented activities that it brings in, everything, the businesses, I mean, I think it's just a win-win situation," he said.
Later this month, Wright will be part of a three-member team that will travel to Texas to look at a Minor League stadium there. City leaders have already checked out Minor League stadiums in Charlotte, and of course Durham.
For now, it's just an idea that's on deck. Whether it strikes out or is a home run, Mayor Nat Robertson says, will depend on if the money and support is there to make it work. A consultant has been hired to do a feasibility study.
