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LELAND, N.C. (WECT) - Emails obtained from the Town of Leland show new details about a potential development including the investment of up to $100 million on over 1,400 acres along Hwy 17 next to Brunswick Forest.

The Town of Leland is working with REV Entertainment and Brunswick County to develop “a world-class development concept with sports and entertainment as the anchor,” town officials announced Wednesday.

An email from Leland Director of Planning and Inspections Ben Andrea states that a representative with REV Entertainment and the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball organization to attract a minor league professional sports/entertainment venue to the area, and that the group is now proposing a smaller version of their Arlington, Texas development as part of the Jackeys Creek development.

A presentation from REV Entertainment outlines their model to use sports as a catalyst to spur further development.

Residents like Joey Upchurch are excited about what the possible complex could bring to the community.

“As a kid, this was our stadium right here, this ball field, we didn’t have stuff like this, we had to travel to Myrtle Beach or to Kinston or places like that,” Upchurch said.

REV could invest up to $100 million in entertainment, restaurants and hotel venues adjacent to the stadium. A timeline shows a public announcement in the first parts of 2023, a finalized conceptual design by April or May, a groundbreaking in Spring 2024 and an opening day in 2026.

“I was kind of skeptical because of you know, the growth that has happened here in the past and the infrastructure can’t keep up with something like that. But then when I really started digging into it and and learned about some of the facts, and some of the benefits that it would have to this community, man, it’s a no brainer.”

Based on notes from the town manager, the planned development will probably happen regardless of whether or not baseball stays a part of it. The baseball stadium could be a publicly owned facility that is privately operated via a lease agreement. Paying for the stadium may require a county-wide municipal bond, and a referendum for that bond could end up on the Nov. 2023 ballot if approved by the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.

“If our taxes do raise slightly, guess what, they’re going to raise anyways down the road,” said Upchurch. “So, I’m willing to pay extra taxes if it benefits my children and their children.”

The lease revenue would offset the debt service on the bond along with the increased value created around the stadium.

Other residents have expressed concerns about traffic on that part of Hwy 17 and northern Brunswick County.

Town emails say the increase in traffic would be mitigated by roadway improvements as the development is built over time. Improvements could include interconnections with existing roadways in neighborhoods and commercial areas and additional connections to Hwy 17 and Hwy 133. These would be coordinated with the N.C. Department of Transportation and local agencies and be needed regardless of whether baseball is part of the picture.

Town officials plan on announcing more information at a press conference with REV Entertainment, Brunswick County, and Leland in late February or early March.

The date will be announced through Leland’s website and social media.

Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.

LELAND, N.C. (WECT) - Development continues along Highway 17 near the Walmart in Leland, bringing a variety of businesses to the Waterford and Leland Town Center areas.

The Town of Leland is working with Lidl to sell its property at the intersection of Highway 17 and Ocean Gate Way to a South Carolina company: Twin Rivers Capital. Once that sale closes in the next 30 to 60 days, Leland can expect four new businesses right next to Leland Town Center.

“Right now, they’ve identified three users that they’ve been talking to and have signed up actually,” said economic and community development director Gary Vidmar. “7-Eleven convenience store is one of them, also a Cookout and a Take 5 Oil Change.”

That will be the only 7-Eleven to open in southeastern North Carolina in decades and the only location in the Cape Fear for nearly a hundred miles. Of course, the popularity of Cookout is expected to increase traffic through the area, so Leland is already looking at plans to mitigate that issue.

“We will be putting in a roundabout, what we call a teardrop roundabout, at the corner of New Pointe Blvd. and Ocean Gate Way that will allow traffic to circumvent that intersection in a much safer way than currently,” said Vidmar.

Across the road and closer to the Harris Teeter in Waterford, another project is also in the works.

“What we’ve perceived for these two buildings is comprised of Class A Office users much like law firms, insurance agencies, financial planners, wealth managers, even medical offices,” said Steve Hall, representing SAMM Properties. “All of that’s to serve that growing area of Leland and Brunswick County.”

That project hopes to offer unique opportunities for businesses.

“You can actually own the real estate you occupy instead of paying the lease fee each month,” said Hall. “It’s not for everybody, but it is for certain types of businesses.”

A furniture store is under construction across from the Leland Station community while a car wash is coming to Leland Town Center — all new businesses that will benefit the community in more ways than one.

“It’ll increase the property tax revenue for that piece of land that’s now completely vacant and it’ll also add to our sales tax revenue in the county as well as the town,” said Vidmar.”

Signs that development in Leland doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Copyright 2021 WECT. All rights reserved.

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — With Brunswick County pulling out the proposed Leland baseball team, questions have been looming on whether the entire deal is off.

With the town of Leland saying they are still committed to bringing a baseball team to town, REV Entertainment told WWAY where things stand with them.

President of REV Entertainment Sean Decker says they are still interested.

“Yeah, we had always said publicly that we were willing to match up to 100 million dollars publicly on this project and nothing has changed for us, we’re still excited about the market, the region, and the opportunity.”

Emails from the Town of Leland show the projected preliminary cost of building a stadium and preparing the site will reach nearly $120 million dollars.

When asked about that budget, Decker said things can likely change.

“The conceptual budget that was up there was just that, it was conceptual. So, we had a part in that, the town had a part in some of that, the developer had a part in some of that. So, there’s a number of costs that go into it, the stadium is one. Obviously on a site like what we’re looking, infrastructure and things like that to get there are another piece. So, the way we look at it is there were a lot of guesses that frankly, have been changing a lot since that was published.”

REV Entertainment recently sold two of its minor league teams in North Carolina, which also questions the viability of creating a team in Leland from scratch.

Decker says those situations were different.

“Completely different set of circumstances with the teams that were sold than what we’re looking at in Leland so… The question, you know, ‘are you less committed to minor league baseball or professional baseball or anything’… absolutely not. In this case, fundamentally the deal is so different in terms of our investment around the property. We’ll be invested to be there for a very long time.”

Decker also added that the next big step is finding out the results of the feasibility study from the Town of Leland.

Once that is released, we will truly know if Leland will play ball.

The Town of Leland said it will not comment until the study is back.

If a minor league baseball team does land in Leland, financing for the stadium complex and related improvements will not come from a bond issue or an increase in local taxes.

That was an early and up-front message from three spokesmen as the entities involved shared project details at an event for the media Tuesday at the Leland Cultural Arts Center.

Speaking about the proposed mixed-use sports and entertainment complex that would be home to the minor league operation were Sean Decker, president of REV Entertainment; Haynes Brigman, Brunswick County’s deputy county manager; and Gary Vidmar, economic and community development director for the town of Leland. REV Entertainment, based in Arlington, Texas, is the management partner for a variety of sports teams including the Texas Rangers.

Early plans call for a 3,500-seat stadium with parking, a convention center and a hotel. The development would also contain retail, restaurant and office space. After giving a project overview, the three answered questions about the proposed site, the project’s anticipated funding and its projected impact on the community and the county.

“One decision we’ve made: we want to fund the project without using tax dollars,” Brigman said, explaining that officials believe that revenues generated by the complex would be sufficient for Leland’s and Brunswick County’s share of expenses. “There will be no bond issue and no tax increase.”

“We’ll match money from the town and county dollar for dollar,” Decker added.

REV Entertainment, Brunswick County and the town of Leland are moving ahead on two fronts: the local governments have commissioned a project feasibility study and economic impact analysis from business services firm Baker Tilly. REV has given the go-ahead to its chosen architectural and engineering partner, JPR, to flesh out detailed plans for the development. The impact analysis would look at the economic ripple effect of having a major commercial and entertainment complex on the site, as well as infrastructure needs to handle increased traffic and utilities demands.

If studies indicate that the minor league project is feasible, the next step would be to issue contracts for the work, Decker said. A reasonable estimate would be a 24-month construction period, with an opening day in 2026, although it could be sooner, he added.

Early reports had it that the minor league team would be a Texas Rangers franchise. Decker said Tuesday that initially the Leland team would likely be an independent Single-A team, but could affiliate with the Texas Rangers in the future. REV already owns two Rangers minor league teams in North Carolina: the High-A Hickory Crawdads and the Kinston-based Down East Wood Ducks, a Single-A team.

While the proposed 1,400-acre site, owned by Jackeys Creek Investors LLC, is currently outside the Leland town limits, Vidmar said the developer will petition for annexation of the property (the complex itself would span about 25 acres

“That’s why Leland is involved at this point,” he added. “Both Leland and Brunswick County would derive revenues from the development.”

Brunswick County, as the taxing authority, “must be involved,” Brigman said.

After the media event, the hall was opened to members of the public who wanted an opportunity to hear a project update from Decker, Brigman and Vidmar.

Information is available on a website maintained by REV Entertainment: www.brunswickcountybaseball.com.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the complex's planned size.

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — We’re continuing to learn more about a baseball stadium being proposed for Leland.

A press conference was held Tuesday morning at the Leland Cultural Arts Center providing details about the Brunswick County baseball club.

Renderings of the stadium and surrounding sites were revealed at the meeting.

“Back last summer, the ownership of the Texas Rangers and I made a trip here to the region to meet with the town and express our interest in bringing professional baseball and a stadium to this region,” said Rev Entertainment President Sean Decker during the press conference.

The proposal would include a County-owned professional sports stadium with approximately 3,500 fixed seats and a flexible capacity to hold around 6,000 seats.

According to details revealed at the press conference, the team will likely be a new team, not pulled from somewhere else. It will also be a Single-A or Independent Team.

A stadium that will cost millions to fund and whether that would be on the taxpayer’s dime has been a point of contention with residents.

Gary Vidmar with the Town of Leland addressed that concern in the meeting by saying

“It’s important that the public knows that we’re not going to go with a bond and we’re not considering using current public tax funds to fund the project. In addition to that, we’re talking lease arrangements with the baseball folks as well as sales tax from the entertainment components, as well as other potential revenue streams from the entire development.”

When asked about the baseball teams long term commitment to the area, Sean Decker was adamant about being a part of the growth and funding.

“Our commitment is that whatever the cost of the stadium is, the town and the county bare, we’ll match every one of those dollars with development around it. So, whatever the stadium cost, we’ll call it x, we’ll spend that same number x in development around it,” said Decker.

Traffic studies and evaluations are planned for traffic concerns. The stadium is also planned to host more than baseball.

But a minor league team wouldn’t be the only thing in this location.

The stadium itself will only consist of about 20 acres of the 1,400 property leaving the other land likely for other ventures.

“We’ve looked at hotel or convenient type space, retail, restaurant type space around that. Really creating and economic driver around that,” said Brunswick County Deputy Manager Hayes Brigman.

The website for the proposed stadium can be found linked below.

Brunswick County Baseball (brunswick-baseball.com)