Report to Trustees: Football Stadium Plans on Time, on Budget

The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees got a preview today on the university’s plans to construct a new 15,000-seat stadium complex in preparation for the arrival of football in 2013.

Phil Jones, associate vice chancellor for facilities at UNC Charlotte, told board members the project is currently on time and on budget. The football stadium complex is being designed by Jenkins-Peer Architects and the DLR Group.

The Board of Trustees approved a funding plan last December that cleared the way for the university to start a football program. The proposal calls for the university to borrow $40.5 million to construct the permanent stadium and field house. Before construction can begin, the N.C. General Assembly must still approve the school's financing plan. The University expects that decision this summer during the legislature’s short session.

In February, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors unanimously approved the proposed funding plan, which includes a combination of increased student fees and private support to repay the loan.

Using a series of slides, Jones showed the board members some of the latest details on the facility, which will be located adjacent to the Charlotte Research Institute and the U.S. 29 (Tryon Street) entrance to the campus. The permanent stadium – which can be expanded to 40,000 seats – will include a field house and a hospitality deck overlooking the field that can accommodate up to 975 guests.

Along with the locker rooms, the field house also will include weight rooms and training rooms along with academic facilities for student-athletes. Jones also showed slides of the press box and other amenities.

In order to make room for the football stadium, some recreational fields used by intramural teams and other UNC Charlotte students will need to be relocated, Jones said. Those relocations, coupled with new fields under construction now, will provide a net gain in campus space used for recreational sports.

Jones said his office expects to start taking bids for the stadium project in early 2011, with construction to begin by April of that year. The completion date is projected for July 2012.