Greenville Drive unveil $10 million renovation plans

If ever there were a season that missing the postseason would sting the least for the Greenville Drive, this would be the one.

There is a deadline looming — and the sooner the work can start, the better.

The Drive organization has plans for at least $10 million worth of renovations to the ballpark — first reported in June by The Greenville News — that will include seats atop its replica left-field "Green Monster," a new upper-deck lounge and a remake of both its entrances.

The team's owner, Craig Brown, told a group of business and community leaders during a luncheon Wednesday that he has set an "ambitious" deadline to have the work done in time to host the Gamecocks and Tigers in their early March baseball rivalry game at the field.

The Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox will receive a $5 million contribution from the city of Greenville to help with renovations at the 10-year-old stadium.

The city owns the 4 acres the ballpark is built on and will ultimately take ownership of the stadium once its long-term lease agreement with the team expires.

The city's use of revenue derived from taxes on hotel stays and Sunday alcohol sales permit fees is meant as a protection of the city's investment in a facility that has been the anchor for redevelopment in the West End, Mayor Knox White said.

In 2006, the Drive spent $20 million in private money to build Fluor Field with $7 million of city money for infrastructure, a funding model uncommon across the country, White said.

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Time and again, he said, communities have experienced owners who come into a town, let their ballparks deteriorate as they make money and then abandon the facilities within a decade.

"At the end of the day, it's a community baseball stadium," White said. "We need to make sure this stadium is built not just for today or tomorrow but 10 years from now. If a team comes and goes, we want to make sure somebody doesn't walk in here and say, 'I can't use this stadium, I'm going someplace else.'"

The Red Sox earlier this year extended their player-development contract with the Drive, ensuring the affiliate remains in Greenville until at least 2020.

The team plans to stay far longer than that and has been been in talks with the city for more than a year, Brown said.

"Over the past year, we've been working diligently with the city of Greenville to secure the future of baseball in Greenville," he said, "including our ability to carry out our mission for many, many years to come."

As part of budget discussions earlier this year, the city first revealed publicly its general desire to contribute tax money for the renovations.

The specific plans weren't made public, however, until the Drive organization filed plans for the renovations through the city's separate design review process, which is required by ordinance to have such downtown projects approved.

The city's Design Review Board will consider the Drive's application at 4 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

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Once design is approved and permits granted, work can begin. The annual "Reedy River Rivalry" between the Gamecocks and Clemson in early March is the first sporting event, followed by other college baseball games and the Drive's minor-league season in April.

The city will allocate $1.25 million in revenue next year derived from the city tax on accommodations and another $650,000 of proceeds from the fee for Sunday alcohol permits.

In the following three years, the city will contribute another $2.3 million in local accommodations tax revenues and another $750,000 in Sunday alcohol permit money.

Last week, the City Council expressed further support by passing a resolution of its intent to provide $150,000 of tourism-related funds annually to the Drive beginning in 2019 for ongoing improvements to the facility. The resolution expressed intent only and doesn't bind the funding decisions of future councils.

The plans put on display at Wednesday's luncheon didn't differ much from those shared in The News' June 10 report, but a few more details were shared.

The plazas for the stadium's entrances at South Main Street and Field Street will see a facelift, including backlit naming rights signs fixed atop the gates, as well as new brick pavers.

Construction of a new "Will Call" ticket area will be integrated into the entry, to alleviate congestion around box office windows.  The Main Street plaza will have new greenery and an LED marquee sign. The existing marquee sign will be relocated to Field Street.

The "Green Monster" will be reworked to add 100 seats, mirroring seating atop Fenway Park's larger, original wall.

The team's front office will move into the second floor of the mixed-use Field House that overlooks two-thirds of the outfield, with a bridge connecting to the seating area to accommodate the disabled.

The rooftop vantage point atop the Field House will be improved to accommodate 75 people with awnings for weather protection, bathrooms, food and beverage stations, and an express elevator from the ground to the roof.  A backlit "Greenville Drive" sign visible throughout the stadium will be installed on the rooftop.

The club level will be extended on the third-base side to add 3,700 square feet of air-conditioned space, with bi-fold doors and stadium seating, that can accommodate 200 people.

The current front office space at the field will be  transformed into a lounge for Drive ticket plan holders.

The renovations follow enhancements put in place at the beginning of this season, which include a larger video board (the smaller one was donated to Furman University), a new sound system and upgrades to the 500 Club.

The Capital City Bombers came to Greenville from Columbia in 2005 after the Atlanta Braves pulled its Class AA affiliate out of the old stadium on Mauldin Road and moved to Mississippi.

The Bombers were renamed the Drive when what was then called West End Field opened in 2006, a 5,700-seat facility modeled after Fenway Park.

The stadium, which was built with a mixed-use development of retail space and condominiums overlooking the playing field, was renamed Fluor Field in 2008.

Follow Eric on Twitter @cericconnor