Charlotte Knights plan hotel new stadium

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Knights baseball team plans to build a 125-room hotel near its new uptown stadium.

The Charlotte Observer reported (http://bit.ly/VPDJDO ) the hotel will include underground parking.

The Knights are building a new stadium in uptown Charlotte that is to open April 10, 2014. The team currently plays in Fort Mill, S.C., where the Chicago White Sox affiliate has some of the smallest crowds in the International League.

Knights executive vice president and chief operating officer Dan Rajkowski said the team is in discussion with several developers on plans for a hotel and potential office space.

The BB&T Ballpark will seat about 10,000 fans.

The Knights are getting more than $7 million from Mecklenburg County's hotel and motel occupancy tax. Charlotte Center City Partners is contributing $725,000.

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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com