ROCK HILL, S.C. — Rock Hill City Council introduced an ordinance Monday evening to sell approximately 50 acres of city owned land on Palmetto Parkway to an entity identified only as “Project Palmetto Rock.”
The property, listed under tax parcel number 664-00-00-021, sits within the Palmetto Research Park, the rebranded site of the former Carolina Panthers practice facility. The more than 200 acre site has remained vacant since the NFL team withdrew from its planned headquarters project in 2022 following funding disputes with the city.
Since then, Rock Hill officials have been marketing the site as a shovel ready destination for major employers. The city has targeted industries such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing and aerospace, touting existing infrastructure including heavy power capacity up to 100 megawatts, water, wastewater, fiber, natural gas and rail access directly on site.
The use of a project code name for the buyer is a standard practice in economic development negotiations where the identity of a company is kept confidential until a deal is finalized.
The ordinance, introduced for first reading at Monday’s special session, authorizes the City Manager to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement and approve any amendments to the agreement that carry out the intent of council. The ordinance must still receive a second reading before the sale becomes final.
If completed, the deal would mark the first major land transaction at the Palmetto Research Park site since the city took control of the property following the Panthers’ departure.
Source: City of Rock Hill Special Session Agenda and Ordinance, April 27, 2026
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