This is how you announce a new stadium and upgrades.
LAWRENCE, Kan. —
The University of Kansas is starting a massive new project it says will be transformative for Lawrence, Kansas, its students and employees.
KU and Kansas Athletics announced Tuesday the latest plans for what it calls the Gateway District.
The endeavor includes a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, a new conference center and several multi-use facilities for year-round use. Plans for the district also include a combination of new retail, dining and other amenities to drive student recruitment and enhance the campus experience.
"The project will be completed in a multi-phased approach. The first phase of the project will include additional renovations to and expansion of, Anderson Family Football Complex, the training hub for Kansas Football," KU announced in a press release. "Additionally, the first phase will include the construction of new southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as well as a new conference center on the north end."
The latest plans for the district – including the first architectural renderings of the project—were shared Tuesday afternoon at an event at the Jayhawk Welcome Center.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1691535941775577089
Construction on the first phase will begin after the 2023 football season and will be completed by the beginning of the 2025 season. The stadium will remain open during the duration of the project.
The university has a fundraising goal of $300 million for the project that uses no tuition dollars or state funds. KU says it has already raised $165 million for the project in gifts and commitments.
Funding for the project will also include $35 million in ARPA funds from the Kansas legislature and $50 million from the 2022 Department of Commerce’s University Challenge Grant program. The university says those funds will go toward aspects of the project designed to boost economic development in Kansas.
HNTB and Multistudio are heading up the design of the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. KU has also partnered with Turner Construction Company as the construction manager for the project.
Multi-use facilities
The multi-use facilities will include a mix of amenities to promote arts and entertaining, dining, retail, office spaces, and lodging.
KU says the mixed-use development is projected to amount to "$2.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced spending and $1.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced earnings. While supporting an estimated 720 jobs."
New stadium upgrades
The David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium upgrades will create a new seating bowl to bring fans closer to the field. There will also be new chairback seating in the west and north seating areas, as well as a video board that will be approximately two-and-a-half times larger.
Fans can also expect approximately 2,300 new club seats, more restrooms, 50% more legroom for seating and four times more food and beverage offerings.
Football facility upgrades
The Gateway District includes upgrades to the Anderson Family Football Complex. The first phase of upgrades to Anderson was completed earlier this month when Kansas Football unveiled a new locker room and weight room.
Additional renovations will equip the building with a state-of-the-art sports medicine center featuring new hydrotherapy pools, cryotherapy chambers and infrared light therapy equipment.
The building, which will be expanded north to connect to the stadium, will also have a new 2,300-square-foot player lounge with a nutrition and fuel bar. Even more nutrition fueling stations will be added throughout the facility.
Everyone in the country does this, but us.
Rock Chalk, Jay Hawk...
50 Hours till open practice in the Swamp.
They were handed $85 million. Not saying they are perfect but when you know your project is securely funded you can go about things a lot differently. The baseball stadium situation almost made us a laughing stock in the south. It’s Kansas, they are the king in that state.
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