CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Uptown Charlotte could see a revamped training camp for the Carolina Panthers in the coming months.
The Panthers filed a rezoning petition on Tuesday for the area near and surrounding the team's current practice fields on S. Cedar Street in Uptown, according to city records.
The plans call for the construction of a fieldhouse for training camp and other football operations. The training facility will have 5,000 seats available for fans when necessary. The seats will not be a "stadium-like venue," according to team officials.
“The rezoning filing is a necessary step as we work through the strategic vision for our facilities," a Panthers spokesperson said in a statement. "It will enable us to pursue enhancements and modifications to the practice fields with the goal of constructing a field house for football operations and community opportunities like Training Camp.”
Records show the Panthers are looking to add restaurant and retail options at the site. However, a Panthers spokesperson said these will be periodic and only be available when the training facility is used for team events.
The plans are currently in the "plan distribution" phase and will go through many reviews before being finalized.
Before 2024, the Panthers had long held training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The team announced in December that training camp would no longer be held in Spartanburg and that future Panthers training camps would take place in Charlotte.
The Panthers previously were set to move their training camp to Rock Hill, South Carolina but the team abandoned those plans shortly before the 2022 season, leading to a myriad of backlash and legal actions.
Carolina finished the 2023 season with an NFL-worst 2-15 record. Even so, the Panthers announced that ticket prices were slightly increasing for the upcoming season.
The Panthers enter the 2024 season with a new head coach, Dave Canales. He and first-year general manager Dan Morgan will look to turn the team around.