CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The future South Broad Stadium has its new name.
As the Lookouts celebrate this new milestone, there are rising questions if the district around the stadium will generate its promised revenue.
Erlanger, the longest serving hospital in Chattanooga, will be the namesake of Erlanger Park.
A new website was unveiled on Thursday showing off new renderings of the stadium.
It describes a variety of individual and group seating areas that will be available 0nce Erlanger Park opens.
It additionally shows the six different event venues available in what will be the refurbished former Wheland Foundry.
Erlanger CEO Jim Coleman says that sponsoring the park will give them meeting and additional operational space.
"We have a lot of functions every year at Erlanger that we could have here. Offer opportunities for all kinds of classes on health education for the community, disease management, even with the close proximity to the Riverwalk, it makes walking groups available," he said.
While an exact dollar amount for the deal wasn't given, Lookouts owner Jason Freier says that the investment is beneficial for both the team and fans.
He says that there were approximately ten different interested companies in the battle for the naming rights to the stadium.
AT&T had been the naming rights partner at the Lookouts' current stadium on Hawk Hill, where they are currently playing out their final season.
Coleman said they were approached in early Spring about the opportunity, and after internal discussion, Erlanger elected to agree to a deal.
Freier said, "The investment of the naming rights partner helps enable all of the things that we are going to do at the ballpark. It helps us keep ticket prices low. It helps us keep this open to the community."
However, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp during budget presentations this week criticized the project for what he sees as a lack of progress.
Mayor Wamp told Commissioners, "You can drive by and see that the stadium is well underway, but other development at the site has not started yet."
He says this in his offices' estimation will lead to about a million and half dollar shortfall by 2028.
The city and county are responsible for paying off some debt obligations for the stadium.
The Mayor says he's concerned about the project's ability to produce revenue.
Mayor Wamp said, "In 2026 we should see out of the ground and on the tax books, a couple of hundred thousand square feet of commercial development. I don't think there is any way that is possible. None of it has broken ground."
We asked Lookouts owner Jason Frier to respond to this criticism.
He says he is confident in the project's ability to produce revenue.
Freier said, "All of that takes time, nobody was going to come onto this site and make an investment until they knew that the ballpark was going to happen. The final vote didn't happen with regards to this ballpark until I think August or September of last year, so of course you're not going to see other things coming out of the ground, it would have been physically impossible to design a building, get it permitted, and start building by now."