Massive Residential Development Contemplated as Part of Baseball Stadium Proposal
While much public scrutiny and comment has been given to the proposal to build a baseball stadium along Route 17 in Leland, there has not been as much public comment given to the fact that within the “Initial Financial Analysis and Economic Impact Study” is that more than 9,950 residential units (either single family homes, attached homes or apartments) are contemplated as part of a significant mixed-use development. The study states on Page 4 of the Executive Summary, “The stadium, along with a proposed medical campus anchor tenant, is expected to leverage over 9,950 units of rental and home ownership development…”
While the study outlines with great specificity the revenue generation of the project and projected cost for the stadium and related infrastructure what has not been spelled out is the additional governmental costs to both the Town and County in terms of services, e.g. police, fire, transportation improvements and schools.
Long Term Impact on Schools
Today, in Brunswick County according to the U.S. Census Bureau there are 98,000 households. According to a recent presentation by the County Manager in early October this year there are 12,799 public school students. For Fiscal Year 2024 the County appropriated $44,952,987 in a transfer to Brunswick County Schools which equates to $3512.22 per student. When you take the number of students and divide it by the number of households it equates to .13 students are generated per each of the 98,000 households.
If you project the number of new residential units in the stadium proposal (9,950) and times that by .13 you can reasonably estimate that the development will generate 1,293 students. At today’s investment of $3512.22 per student that equates to an additional $4,542,772 in annual additional cost to the County just for schools alone.
This does not factor into the equation the cost of building additional schools that would be necessary over time to meet the needs of what would be a growing public school population.
No Decisions Have Been Made
The Town recently released a statement that it has not made any decision related to the baseball stadium proposal. To suggest, that it has, is unfair.
What Needs to be Done
As this project is being considered as part of a public process, it is essential that decision-makers and the public fully understand the cost side of the ledger sheet of this proposal. As such, an analysis of the cost exposure to both the Town and County needs to be done for the entire project before any further consideration be given.
