[Chron/Fox] University of Houston approves $160 million in stadium projects

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/houston/7046830.html

The University of Houston placed a hefty bet on its future in college athletics on Thursday, unveiling a $160 million plan to upgrade its football and basketball facilities.
The athletic department made a presentation to the board of regents on Saturday and has the go-ahead to pursue a $120 million construction of a football facility to replace Robertson Stadium and a $40 million renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion.
The football stadium, which would be built at the existing Robertson site, would seat 40,000 and be expandable to 50,000-plus. The basketball facility project would include the addition of practice facilities for the men’s and women’s teas and would have a seating capacity of 8,593.
“Clearly, it’s a vision,” UH athletic director Mack Rhoades said. “But were committed to making it happen.”
The vision is the result of a nearly four-month feasibility study conducted by architectural powerhouse AECOM. The study, which is not entirely complete, is approximately 500 pages and cost nearly $250,000. UH is making the commitment in light of radical re-alignment that has changed the face of the Big 12, Pac 10 and Big Ten Conferences.
“The projects are critical, period, whether we’re talking about conference re-alignment or not,” Rhoades said. “We’ve really been focused on making ourselves better, making us a program that can compete on a national level. All of our sports programs. That’s where we’re headed. We’re a member of Conference USA right now. We’re honored to be in Conference USA. But we’re also always going to look to better ourselves. We truly believe you don’t wait for opportunity; you make opportunity.”
A completion date of the projects, which also have the blessing of UH chancellor and president Renu Khator, is uncertain. Rhoades said the school would spend the next 12 months raising the money to finance the construction. Multiple people familiar with the project said UH has had preliminary discussions with the Texans and using Reliant Stadium as a temporary home for the football team if necessary. UH football coach Kevin Sumlin said that once he became privy to where the planning is headed, “It’s been kind of hard keeping my mouth shut.
“It’s about a vision from the top,” Sumlin said. “What you see here is Dr. Khator and Mack Rhoades putting our university and our athletic department in the best possible position they can. Whatever happens, whatever comes out of this, what it shows is our administration, our president, all have a vision for where we want to be and have a commitment to athletics. Whatever happens, they’re going to put us in the best position to be successful, and that’s all you can ask.”
The projected cost of a renovation of Robertson Stadium is $107 million, which prompted UH to opt for new construction. The cost of a new arena would have run $70 million.
A major component of the funding would be naming rights. The school projects a possible $30 million in name rights for the football stadium, with another possible $55 million coming from ancillary naming rights. The school’s projections call for another possible $15 million in naming rights for the basketball arena and another $15 million in ancillary naming rights.
“It’s a commitment to the coaches,” said former UH quarterback Ken Bailey, the chairman of the stadium fund-raising committee. “It’s a commitment to the student athletes who come to the University of Houston. It’s a commitment to our alumni. And it’s a commitment to anybody else out there in the world that the University of Houston is going to regain its glory days. We are going to get there, regardless of what the re-alignment does. We’re going to be playing at a major level and be successful at whatever we do.”

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http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/local/100610-uh-considers-$160-million-stadium_arena-project


HOUSTON - The University of Houston unveiled an ambitious and aggressive plan Thursday to give Cougars athletics state-of-the-art facilities for football and basketball.

School officials are looking at a $160 million package that includes a new football stadium on campus and a major renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion.

With UH's on-going feasibility study on the school's athletics facilities nearing completion, athletics director Mack Rhoades told FOX 26 Sports the study shows the school would spend $120 million on the new football stadium that would replace Robertson stadium.

Rhoades said the study earmarks $40 million to re-do Hofheinz Pavilion.

The feasibility study is already nearly 500 pages long at a cost of $250,000.

It is an investment UH officials believe is a drop in the bucket when you consider the future of Cougars athletics is on the line and what it will mean in the ever-changing landscape of college sports.

"We're making a commitment to upgrading our facilities and that's first and foremost," Rhoades said. "We think the right answer is a brand new stadium here on campus, really primarily focused on the existing site, 40,000 seats initially, phase-one. Phase-two expansion to 50,000-plus, total project cost of $120 million.

"Because of Hofheinz generous space within, the architects really recommend rather than brand new, that we renovate that facility. That's a $40 million total project cost, but it also includes a practice facility for men's and women's basketball, also would include volleyball in terms of office suites for all three of those sports programs, sports performance, sports medicine and those are things that we are lacking at this point in time."

The new football stadium will include amenities like luxury suites (22), loge box seats (200), and club seats (650).

The stadium complex will have state-of-the-art locker room facilities, hall of fame, academic headquarters, and offer a majestic view of downtown Houston.

As part of UH's extensive due diligence, school officials looked at two other sites for the football stadium.

The additional on-campus option would be on the intramural area near Interstate 45. However, because of an existing building that would have to be moved, the cost of the project would jump by more than $46 million.

UH officials also looked at building their football stadium at MacGregor Park, but the cost of the project would increase by $51 million.

The feasibility study also includes discussion of renovating Robertson Stadium, but at a savings of only $13 million

While none of the options have been eliminated, the on-campus project for a new football stadium is the school's focus.

A renovated Hofheinz Pavilion would seat 8,593, an increase of about 500 seats, with no suites.

It would also include premium seating that would involve floor seats (250) and loge box seats (100).

The goal for this portion of the overall project is to greatly improve the fans' experience.

Right now everything Rhoades and his staff are considering are concepts, with nothing etched in stone, as they wait for the final paperwork on the feasibility study.

However, with the pot of gold at the end of rainbow expected to cost $160 million, UH has already embarked on a 12-month plan or raise the necessary funds.

A key component of the school's fund-raising will center around naming rights for the new football stadium and the renovated Hofheinz Pavilion.

The feasibility study indicates the naming rights for the stadium would be worth $30 million, and if the entire naming rights inventory connected to the stadium gain sponsors, the total value would be $85 million.

Naming rights for Hofheinz Pavilion are valued at $15 million with the total value, if all of the inventory at the renovated facility is sponsored, being projected at $30 million.

"It's a vision, but we are committed to making it happen," said Rhoades. "We have not approached final design.

"We really are going to take the next 12 months to do everything we can to raise the appropriate money and we are excited about it. We are going to make it happen and make that commitment to the next level."

Upgrading UH's sports facilities will help lay the foundation for the University of Houston athletics department to move into the next era of college athletics.

"The projects are critical, period whether we are talking about conference realignment or not," Rhoades said. 'We've really been focused on making ourselves better; making ourselves a program that can compete at a national level, all of our sports programs."

With conferences all over the country apparently on the verge of massive realignment, Rhoades said he and his staff will have taken the necessary steps to make sure UH has a seat at the table.

"We want the best chair possible," said Rhoades. "So I think this is certainly critical in terms of positioning ourselves, no matter what happens here in the next couple days, in the next three weeks, the next six months. Every day is different and again we are proud to be members of Conference USA."

 

Done.

10,000 beds on campus by 2012.