Discovery Place Could Be Declared in Default Over Nearly $15 Million Owed to Mecklenburg County

Discovery Place, the long-running Charlotte science museum, owes Mecklenburg County close to $15 million and says it cannot pay that amount. Within a few weeks, the county could formally declare the organization in default.

Tony Mecia of The Charlotte Ledger discussed the dispute with WFAE's Marshall Terry on the station's BizWorthy segment. Mecia said the reasons behind the debt and the museum's inability to repay it are only now becoming clear, and some questions remain open.

The money stems from a partnership between Discovery Place and the county to rebuild the facility near Freedom Park that was formerly known as the Nature Museum, or the Charlotte Museum of Nature. Costs on the project ran over several years ago. Discovery Place asked the county for roughly $20 million more, Mecia said, and the county offered $10 million. In his telling, the question of how to cover the remaining difference was effectively put off.

With construction now finished, a gap of about $14 million to $15 million remains. The county argues it should not be responsible for that sum and that the obligation rests with Discovery Place. The museum has responded that it does not have the money and that a solution must be worked out. Both sides say they are trying to do so.

County commissioners expressed anger over the matter this week. One commissioner described the county's relationship with Discovery Place as "parasitic," according to Mecia. Commissioners are now weighing their options.

If the county declares a default, Mecia said, the agreement appears to give it the right to take over operation of the building, which the county owns. It could run the site as a community recreation center, convert it to offices, or continue operating it as a nature museum. The last choice would bring added ongoing costs, and Mecia noted that running museums is not something the county's park and recreation department typically does. Commissioners said this week they would like a decision, or at least a sense of their direction, by the end of October.

In other business news from the segment, the Charlotte Business Journal has reported that Idlewood Capital is eyeing a vacant warehouse of about 8,000 square feet at 2025 North Davidson Street in the Optimist Park neighborhood. The area, home to Optimist Hall, sits between Uptown and NoDa and is growing quickly. Plans have not been disclosed, but the project sounds like a retail and restaurant operation, possibly with a rooftop bar.

Mecia also said a new sign is coming to the top of an uptown building: Huntington Bank's. The bank has leased space in One South, at Trade and Tryon streets, where it has a regional headquarters and is taking about four floors.