Blasting begins at failed Carolina Panthers facility in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) - The Carolina Panthers opened training camp in South Carolina Tuesday, practicing at Camp Wofford in Spartanburg.

However, had things worked out differently, they might have started training in Rock Hill this year.

Instead, the former Panthers training facility in Rock Hill is in the middle of being demolished.

Last year, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper pulled out of plans to bring a multi-million-dollar practice facility to York County. After the plan failed, the city was left to demolish the nearly constructed site.

The buildings that used to be on the property were demolished in May. Now all that’s left are a few underground building foundations.

On Tuesday, a demolition contractor is on site to blow up those foundations, which are deep underground. The first explosion happened around 10 a.m. and a WBTV crew didn’t hear a sound.

The contractor demolishing the site struck a deal with the city to do the job for $1 in exchange for the ability to make money from the sale of the steel and personal property on site.

There is still no word as to what will become of the 245-acre property. Several business owners in Rock Hill say they were banking on the facility to bring in more money.

“Frustration and confusion also come in there. Looking back and seeing the size and scope of the deal and everything that was happening around the same time in the country, COVID and the amount of things that were happening, I can’t say now that it’s a surprise,” Ryan Sanderson, of Knowledge Perk Coffee Shop, said. “We’ve certainly grown and been able to deal with it as a business. But as a constituent of the city of Rock Hill and York County, it’s certainly disappointing to have that kind of economic impact taken away from our future.”

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