Rezoning 'outlier' raises doubt on potential new home for Carolina Panthers

CHARLOTTE (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) — Charlotte Pipe and Foundry wants to rezone its 55 acres of land for future development that could include a sports or entertainment complex. Charlotte city council quickly learned any potential developer will have to work with less.

“So as you can see, this 55 acres pretty quickly comes down to 30 acres or so with the reservations and future dedications that would be needed for our transportation infrastructure.”

But it’s this donut hole in the middle of the rezoning petition that raised questions.

“It is kind of the outlier. I’ve never seen one quite like that,” said Councilmember Braxton Winston.

The 2.13 acres is owned by Bill Kinney of United Air Filter Company.

“This location is wonderful! And it didn’t used to be,” recalled Kinney.

United Air Filter Company is a three-generation family business that has been around for 53 years.

“In 1968, it was one of the few places that we could afford to get a business started.”

Their building, which houses every kind of filter imaginable, is 43,000 square feet.

“If you want to talk about a 100-year-old building and see these old rafters…”

But Kinney knows it’s the dirt underneath that’s worth much more.

“You can’t fit the stadium down here without being on this property,” Kinney said, “As best as I can tell by looking at the layout and the acreage and so forth.”

Interstate 277 splits Pipe and Foundry’s land, making those 30 useable acres even smaller.

“Developers are going to come in here and they’re going to need this property and we’re going to need to move.”

Kinney says he and his son have had offers before, but nothing yet that inspires them to pick up and move. They know they have at least a few years until that day comes, but they, too, are looking toward the future.

“We’re going to wait for the Pipe Foundry for their 55 acres to be rezoned and then we’ll start the process probably immediately.”

Kinney tells FOX 46 they plan to keep the family business going despite any future move.

Bank of America Stadium currently sits on 33 acres of land. For perspective, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is on 62 acres of land. So if the plans are to make this the new home of the Carolina Panters, it’ll be interesting to see how they reconfigure the layout.