Is $115 million enough for Western and Southern Open? Charlotte leaders evaluate chances

North Carolina finally has a state budget, and it includes $20 million to help Charlotte secure a major tennis tournament.

But the pool of public money pledged to move the Western and Southern Open to Charlotte is still shy of what developers said they wanted covered — a third of the $400 million projected cost of the plan. As the city waits for a decision that could bring millions more in economic impact, local leaders say they’re happy with what the state committed.

Still to be seen: whether the tennis tournament’s owners agree.

The $20 million “is yet another puzzle piece necessary to secure a successful proposal,” Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham said, adding that he was “looking forward to partnering with the state of North Carolina to support travel and tourism and bring big-time tennis to Charlotte and the region.”

Graham, himself a tennis player and the chair of the City Council’s economic development committee, has been a vocal advocate for Project Breakpoint, the plan from South Carolina-based Beemok Capital to move the open from Cincinnati to Charlotte and a new tennis complex to the River District.

The City Council in June approved spending up to $65 million to help entice Beemok to follow through on its proposal, first introduced in May. The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners followed suit in July when it approved spending an additional up to $30 million on the project.

That brings the total sum of public money committed to the project to $115 million.

Will Western and Southern Open move to Charlotte?

Beemok, which owns the tennis tournament and is still weighing whether to move it to Charlotte from its current home in Ohio, said in its initial proposal it wanted the city, county and state to cover a third of the $400 million project, about $133 million. The company did not respond to a request for comment on what the state’s funding decision means for Charlotte’s chances of landing the Western and Southern Open.

Asked about the just-allocated $20 million, State. Rep. John Bradford, a Republican whose district includes north Mecklenburg County, said it was important to keep in mind the number of funding requests received for the state budget.

“$20 million from the state is a very generous contribution, and it’s a bird in the hand,” he said. “I realize that the ask was a little bit more, but with the number of asks that we get from people across the state, obviously we can’t fund every single project.”

And, Bradford added, the current budget could be tweaked to add more funds next year.

“Could there be an appetite to go grab a little bit more? Maybe. … I think it’s always important for these projects to be able to stand on their own two feet as well and take the money that they have and find a way to get it done even if (the state) can’t deliver anymore,” he said.

As for what the current funding total means for Charlotte’s chances, Bradford said “that’s not up to me, that’s gonna be up to the folks who are doing the project.”

Joe Bost, chief advocacy officer for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, said in a statement he couldn’t “think of a time in recent memory where the Charlotte Region’s contributions to the state were recognized so well in the state budget.”

“The $20 million in House Bill 259 for Project Breakpoint sends a great message — local and state leaders are aligned — we want this tournament,” he said.

When will Beemok announce Western and Southern Open decision?

In their initial presentation, Beemok officials said they wanted financial incentives approved by the end of the summer so that a decision could be made soon after.

Graham previously told the Charlotte Observer he expected Beemok to announce a final decision after the 2023 open in Ohio — “maybe before early fall.”

The tournament would have an estimated annual economic impact of $275 million and bring 60 full-time, year-round jobs with an average salary of $60,000 to $85,000 to Charlotte, Mecklenburg County officials said previously.

Breakpoint calls for the construction of a complex that would contain four “major stadiums,” according to a July presentation to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, and also includes a park, an amphitheater and “greenway trail connectivity.”

The stadiums would include a 14,000-seat center court; more than 40 hard, clay and indoor tennis courts; an indoor pickleball facility; four outdoor pickleball courts; and a 45,000-square-foot “player/academy building.”