Mudcats on the move. Wilson backs new stadium to lure baseball team from Wake County
Wilson leaders are backing a $280 million development, including a new baseball stadium, to lure the Carolina Mudcats away from Wake County.
Thursday night, the Wilson City Council approved four agreements to partner with NSV Wilson LLC to create $212 million in private investment surrounding a city-funded $70 million baseball stadium. One of those agreements included a 25-year lease with the Mudcats.
The Mudcats are the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and have called the Five County Stadium its home since 1991.
The Five County Stadium, located near the border of Wake, Franklin, Nash, Wilson and Johnston counties, is in Zebulon. The stadium is 85% owned by Wake County and 15% by Zebulon.
The Mudcats lease for the Five-County Stadium goes through Dec. 31, 2027.
“Wake County and the Town of Zebulon are disappointed to learn of the Brewers’ decision to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Wilson to relocate the Carolina Mudcats to their city,” according to a joint statement sent Friday morning from Wake County and the town of Zebulon.
Wake County without a professional baseball team is a “significant and especially painful loss,” said Scott Dupree, executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.
“The Mudcats have been a fixture in eastern Wake County for 32 years,” he said. “They’ve been a flagship organization that has brought a lot of pride to Zebulon. The team has delivered high-level baseball and entertainment to the community, and lots of wonderful moments and memories, while also serving as an economic engine for the region.”
What’s included in the Wilson stadium
The new stadium would be located on pieces of property bordered by Goldsboro, Lodge and Hines streets and the Whirligig Park.
Private development surrounding the Wilson stadium includes a new hotel with at least 80 rooms and a 150-unit apartment complex along Lodge Street. The development would also include townhomes and the redevelopment of property on Nash Street.
Plans for the stadium include:
a 3,500-fixed-seat stadium with a berm and/or standing room only space for a capacity of 4,500 for baseball games
10 to 12 private suites
food and beverage service
a ballpark club and banquet facility to hold 250 guests
artificial turf playing field
kids play area that will be open year round
surface and street level parking
Construction could begin in two to three months with an ambitious timeline to be open in time for the 2026 Mudcats season.
The city plans to seek a general obligation bond to pay for the stadium, likely resulting in a 2-cent rate increase to the city’s property tax rate. The city’s current property tax rate is 57.5 cents per $100 of valuation. The city also has a tax rate for its downtown area. That rate is 18 cents per $100 of valuation.
“I was disappointed to learn that the Mudcats will be leaving Zebulon and Wake County for Wilson, but I was not surprised, not with an offer on the table to move into a new $70 million ballpark,” Dupree said. “New facilities and new potential revenue streams will almost always win the day when it comes to sports franchise relocations.”
Five County Stadium needs upgrades
In 2022, the team sought money from the Wake County Board of Commissioners to make renovations to Five County Stadium to comply with Major League Baseball standards. Their pitch also included non-mandated improvements to create a fun atmosphere to draw in fans, including a rooftop sky lounge with a bar and kitchen, a playground and two-story clubhouse.
Those improvements were estimated to cost $15 million.
At the time, commissioners were more interested in the required upgrades versus the fan extras.
In that meeting, the team and the town of Zebulon reported that ticket sales were up and the team generated $5.1 million for eastern Wake County.
“Wake County and the Town of Zebulon maintain that Five County Stadium is a great facility, well positioned for some moderate improvements that could have enabled us to continue hosting a Major League Baseball-affiliated minor league team,” according to the joint statement. “The growing population in eastern Wake County could have provided an expanded fan base for the team.”
Wake County and the town are “now actively exploring opportunities” about how the stadium will be used in the future.
“We look forward to utilizing the space in a way that continues to benefit the Town, the County and residents across the region,” according to the statement.
Eastern Wake County
In a letter to local media, Wendell Mayor Pro Tem Jason Joyner criticized the Wake County commissioners for “their failure to invest” in the eastern part of Wake County.
“As I come to terms with the loss of the Mudcats, it’s the underlying reason that disturbs me the most,” he said. “This is a shining example of Eastern Wake County being forgotten yet again, overlooked in favor of other areas. This needs to be a call to action for Wake County leaders to start valuing and investing in the eastern part of the county with the seriousness it deserves.”
Wake County Commissioner Don Mial, who represents that portion of Wake County, said he was disappointed to lose the Mudcats but said the county has invested in eastern Wake County. That includes helping Zebulon secure a $7 million grant for a new joint fire and EMS station and preserving 50 acres of land in Wendell, according to the county.
“We really hate that they decided to move to Wilson,” he said. “We would love for them to have stayed here in Wake County. They bring a lot of economic development to the eastern part of the county. But we’ve done everything we could to try and keep them here.”
