Council approves advertising a 30‑day notice for proposed Davis Park lease with Belmont Baseball LLC

Assistant City Manager Kevin Kuss presented a lease proposal from Belmont Baseball LLC to operate a collegiate wooden‑bat team at Davis Park and to make field improvements.

Kuss said the team proposes to lease the ballfield area and make approximately $250,000 in improvements including new fencing, dugouts, a backstop, infield resurfacing, a scoreboard and lighting adjustments. Under the proposed terms the team would be responsible for maintenance, utility costs and would retain gate and event revenues; the team also asked the city to support an ABC permit to sell alcohol at games.

Staff explained North Carolina statute limits the initial lease term to 10 years and required a 30‑day advertisement and public hearing; staff said the advertisement must run before late May to meet the July hearing timeline. Council discussed parking, renewal language, neighborhood noise and an 11 p.m./midnight quiet‑hours window; staff agreed to refine lease language on renewals and parking before the July hearing.

Council made a motion to move forward with the 30‑day advertisement to begin the statutorily required notice period; the motion carried on the floor and staff will return with the formal lease resolution and public hearing on the July meeting agenda.

Next steps: staff will run the 30‑day advertisement, refine lease terms (renewal language, parking provisions, quiet‑hours), and return with a resolution for the July public hearing and potential lease approval.