ATLANTA — Members of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and city leaders toured Atlanta to gather ideas they could use to help Charlotte grow.
Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokari said Wednesday there is no comparison between the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
He's not necessarily pushing for a new stadium, because it wouldn't be cheap.
Bokari said he learned about how Atlanta worked to gain community support for its $1.6 billion stadium, which is home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, the city's Major League Soccer team.
He said touring the new facility showed local leaders what could be possible.
“The question we're going to have to answer for Charlotte is, ‘Where does that stack up with the rest of our priorities, because taxpayer dollars are limited?’ And we have to also hear what our new ownership actually wants,” Bokari said.
The Carolina Panthers' new owner, David Tepper, hasn't said if he'll push for a new stadium.
Bank of America Stadium is 21 years old and got a $75 million renovation five years ago.
The city has promised a second round of stadium renovations that could delay the issue for a few years.
The last two stadiums that opened in the U.S. -- in Atlanta and Minnesota -- cost over $1 billion each, and taxpayers paid for half.
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