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  #241  
Old Posted May 5, 2017, 7:12 PM
brando brando is offline
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Originally Posted by GoldenBoot View Post
With regard to the arena...it's initial capacity will be about 12,500 (for basketball). However, it will be designed to be expanded to roughly 17,000 if and when it is needed in the future.

Just the location though is a nightmare. The old Compaq Center (Summit) in Houston couldn't get any NCAA events because of the nightmare it was to get in and out of it. The garage system was a mess. Getting into the campus will be a huge headache. The only road access will be MLK and it'll have the new medial center on the south side of the street.

The garage that is proposed next to the arena only has 1,200 spaces. That is about half the size that you would want for a dedicated garage for a 17-20k arena and you have to hope that all of the medical center garages will be fully available and empty for events.

You just need to hope that public transportation will be a lot better by then or they could build some direct connection ramps from the highway frontage road into garages to bypass having to turn west on MLK
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  #242  
Old Posted May 5, 2017, 7:55 PM
Novacek Novacek is offline
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Originally Posted by brando View Post
Just the location though is a nightmare. The old Compaq Center (Summit) in Houston couldn't get any NCAA events because of the nightmare it was to get in and out of it. The garage system was a mess. Getting into the campus will be a huge headache. The only road access will be MLK and it'll have the new medial center on the south side of the street.

The garage that is proposed next to the arena only has 1,200 spaces. That is about half the size that you would want for a dedicated garage for a 17-20k arena and you have to hope that all of the medical center garages will be fully available and empty for events.

You just need to hope that public transportation will be a lot better by then or they could build some direct connection ramps from the highway frontage road into garages to bypass having to turn west on MLK

If CapMetro's highway BRT on 35 ever actually happens, they could run those right up alongside.
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  #243  
Old Posted May 5, 2017, 9:35 PM
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The new location isn't that far from the Erwin Center. I'm not sure it will be anymore of a hassle to get to. If over 100,000 people can get into the football stadium (many are non UT students), then surely it won't be an issue to get 12,500 people into the new arena.
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  #244  
Old Posted May 5, 2017, 11:20 PM
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And there's that huge garage across 35 by Disch-Falk.
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  #245  
Old Posted May 5, 2017, 11:21 PM
brando brando is offline
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Originally Posted by Jdawgboy View Post
The new location isn't that far from the Erwin Center. I'm not sure it will be anymore of a hassle to get to. If over 100,000 people can get into the football stadium (many are non UT students), then surely it won't be an issue to get 12,500 people into the new arena.

That's true. I do think it's easier to figure out how to get in and get out of the stadium during the day or on the weekend than it would be at 10:00 pm during the week but maybe not.

To be clear, the concerns I was bringing up were assuming the best case scenario that the city and ut team up to pay for a 17k seat arena and it can continue to host top events. I don't think you'll have a problem if the arena stays at 12.5k because it's not going to host many of the events that the Erwin center currently hosts.


I do think that the main access point changing from 15th to MLK is pretty significant. 15th has more capacity for cars and runs from 35 all the way to mopac. MLK is constantly backed up. People could still get to mik from the west side but it's a lot of cars sitting and turning through untimed lights and driving up through west campus.
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  #246  
Old Posted May 6, 2017, 1:20 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenBoot View Post
With regard to the arena...it's initial capacity will be about 12,500 (for basketball). However, it will be designed to be expanded to roughly 17,000 if and when it is needed in the future.
Better yet, design and build a 5K - 17K stadium that can be transformed to any size from 5K seating to 17K seats depending on the event by enclosing or opening up seating sections. 12,500 seats seem fine for UT basketball, too small for top touring acts. But why should UT care about those anyway? Rick Derringer, Peter Frampton, Three Dog Night, Styx, and the surviving members of The Monkeys would love to play there in a 12K arena, might even fill it half way.
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  #247  
Old Posted May 6, 2017, 3:31 AM
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Originally Posted by brando View Post
It would have been cool to build it on the Austin American Statesman land which is being shopped to developers or next to the domain. You have the kind of commercial development in shops, restaurants and bars to support a big arena like that. Rockrose street at the domain is pretty cool. There is also Metro Rapid bus service to the Domain and you'll see express service down the new toll lanes of MoPac to get you across the city to the domain/north austin very quickly. That is if it is ever finished.


Not the exact design I would go with, but I posted this on thread a few years ago because I think this would be a good location for an all purpose arena, not for UT basketball however.
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  #248  
Old Posted May 7, 2017, 12:53 AM
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I interned at the Statesman in college (a long time ago) and I'm familiar with the area. While it is close to downtown but separated by the river, I think the area is best served by building residential with retail. Big arenas should be geographically near downtowns generally, but I think east of 35 might be a better location, with a rail transit station next to it. Like where it say E. Riverside on this map.

Sorry it's so big. Is there code I could add to post it at 30% or so?


http://centralaustincdc.org/images/1...ment_rev01.jpg
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  #249  
Old Posted May 7, 2017, 3:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown View Post
I interned at the Statesman in college (a long time ago) and I'm familiar with the area. While it is close to downtown but separated by the river, I think the area is best served by building residential with retail. Big arenas should be geographically near downtowns generally, but I think east of 35 might be a better location, with a rail transit station next to it. Like where it say E. Riverside on this map.

Sorry it's so big. Is there code I could add to post it at 30% or so?

http://centralaustincdc.org/images/1...ment_rev01.jpg
I'm not aware of any code to make it smaller. One option is to copy and paste the image url into another window and you'll get a smaller version of it, like this:

http://centralaustincdc.org/images/1...ment_rev01.jpg
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  #250  
Old Posted May 7, 2017, 8:08 AM
Owlhorn Owlhorn is offline
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Originally Posted by brando View Post
Chip Brown reporting:




This is the first potential "inside" information that addresses the likely cost and capacity but take it with a grain of salt since it comes from a ut sports site. Chip Brown has a checkered past with this stuff.

This definitely creates a problem for the city of Austin. It might lose the ability to host a lot of non UT events without a standard larger arena. It will also be even more difficult from non students to get to and park in a new arena that is on campus particularly because the light rail train that would have gone by failed a couple years ago. There has been a lingering question of what to do with an increased hotel tax with a needed convention center expansion getting the most emphasis by outside groups as oppose to building a new arena or partnering with UT for a bigger arena. I'm torn because I see the need for both. The city would benefit greatly from expanding the convention center but you want people to have the opportunity to see a lot of cool touring acts in a big arena. Renovating and expanding the Travis County Expo arena is also on the table but that is so far away. Arenas are typically very close or reasonably close to the city core. I would love for the city to build a standard nice arena that most cities have but without the possibility of ever getting a regular tenant like a NFL or NBA team, it raises the question of if they could fill it with enough events during the year. Austin's minor league hockey and basketball teams do not draw nearly enough fans to justify an arena like that. It would have been cool to build it on the Austin American Statesman land which is being shopped to developers or next to the domain. You have the kind of commercial development in shops, restaurants and bars to support a big arena like that. Rockrose street at the domain is pretty cool. There is also Metro Rapid bus service to the Domain and you'll see express service down the new toll lanes of MoPac to get you across the city to the domain/north austin very quickly. That is if it is ever finished.
The capacity figure was published with the new masterplan last year. Austin already knew UT had decided on a campus location and a much reduced capacity but with expansion possibilities similar to Nebraska's recent arena build. The previous recent announcement addressed which on campus location was chosen. The other sites were between DKR and MLK in various locations. The only new speculation here is the price tag.
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  #251  
Old Posted May 7, 2017, 8:47 PM
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if the roughly $100 million budget for this arena is true...it's going to be pretty crappy (in both amenities and more importantly, aesthetics).
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  #252  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2018, 4:38 PM
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RFP has gone out. https://utexas.app.box.com/s/i4bkune...e/272629007300

-Looking for company with experience building 350k-450k arenas

-First location option: South of Mike A. Myers Stadium between Red River Street and Robert Dedman Drive on Lot 70 ("Highway Site") Requires closing parking lot and relocating Red River St. The relocation of Red River Street will create a larger land area to accommodate the New ArenaProject, fire lane accessibility, and a potential game day plaza

-Second location Option: South of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium between Robert Dedman Drive and San Jacinto Boulevard and between E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East 23rd Street ("Creek Site") Requires demo Student Rec Center and School of Social Work



EDIT: Woa!!! It seems like UT is looking for a private developer to builder and operate the arena and share revenue with UT as oppose to building an arena themselves! This is a shocker. It's kind of like what the city did with the South Terminal at the airport. This pretty much kills the hope that an arena will be built at the Expo grounds. A private developer is going to push for a higher capacity concert venue in order to keep Erwin Center events at UT.

Quote:
3.1Provide for design, permitting, development, and construction of the New Arena Project with minimal University financial participation.

3.2Create a best-in-class arena that is flexible, functional, efficient, cost effective, and sustainable.

3.3Create a best-in-class basketball training facility for Texas Athletics' exclusive use that is flexible, functional, efficient, cost effective, and sustainable.

3.4Provide an intimate and state-of-the-art venue to serve as the home for the University Men's and Women's Basketball Programs.

3.5Identify the best facilities for recruiting student-athletes and serving the needs of the University Men's and Women's Basketball Programs.

3.6Design and develop the New Arena Project in order to maximize utilization, serve all University stakeholders, and attract and present a variety of music, entertainment, and touring sports to serve the regional market.

3.7Create a unique, state-of-the-art brand experiencefor all University stakeholders, including recruits, student-athletes, students, donors, alumni, spectators, faculty, staff, corporate partners, visitors, and vendors.

3.8Develop a venue that offers a unique game-day experience (concourses, etc.) that engages all University stakeholders. In addition, multiple game-day experiences should be designed specifically for students.

3.9Provide for the development of the conceptual project design and venue operations in a manner that integrates with, and enhances connections to, other University events, the student population, faculty, staff, and alumni.

3.10Involve all segments of the University community, especially University students, in employment and business opportunities directly or indirectly created by the operation of the New Arena Project. The New Arena Project should be used as a laboratory for students by offering year-round internships, mentoring programs, learning opportunities with management during events, and employment opportunities.

3.11Create guest amenities and public spaces that are multi-functional and address the needs of multiple stakeholders. Amenities should be focused on maximizing revenue generation for the University and Texas Athletics wherever possible.

3.12Ensure that the New Arena Project and its spaces maximize efficiency and create potential revenue opportunities.

3.13Incorporate University and Texas Athletics quality standards, as applicable, into the New Arena Project design, including safety, Texas hospitality, teamwork, and efficiency.

3.14Provide next generation technology solutions (production studio and control facilities, video, audio, customer engagement, payment processing, etc.).

3.15Provide for a continuous, successful, and sustainable operation as a world-class venue with minimal ongoing University financial participation.

3.16Provide for mitigation of transportation impacts due to project construction and venue operations.

3.17Manage and be responsible for all aspects of the new arena's day-to-day operation, including full and part-time personnel, fiscalprocedures and controls, safety and security, repairs and maintenance, facility cleaning, improvements to the physical plant, exterior maintenance (including landscaping and maintenance of sidewalks, driveways, and parking areas) as well as the purchasingof all required services (including the hiring, coordination, and oversight of contractors, vendors, and suppliers).

3.18Protect the ongoing investment in the New Arena Project through the highest level of maintenance, repair, capital upgrades, Texas Athletics branding, signage, and overall operational standards (as each may evolve and change over time), which shall be implemented throughout the term of the Services.

Last edited by freerover; Feb 2, 2018 at 5:00 PM.
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  #253  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2018, 5:16 PM
freerover freerover is offline
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To clarify, the RFP calls for making the preferred arena location directly accessible by the 35 frontage RD by re-routing Red River St. to the west side of the arena and track stadium where Robert Dedmon currently is. No idea what the plan is going to be to get RR back to where it's suppose to be.
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  #254  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2018, 6:10 PM
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Originally Posted by freerover View Post
To clarify, the RFP calls for making the preferred arena location directly accessible by the 35 frontage RD by re-routing Red River St. to the west side of the arena and track stadium where Robert Dedmon currently is. No idea what the plan is going to be to get RR back to where it's suppose to be.
Maybe widen Medical Arts DR and redesignate it as Red River?
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  #255  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2018, 3:28 AM
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We have the names of 2 companies that responded to the RFP. We don't know what their bids are yet.

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...asketball.html

Quote:
Amicus and Oak View would bring different strengths to a UT arena development.

On its website Amicus stresses its experience with higher-education construction, using equity capital instead of taxpayer dollars. It says it has worked with UT as well as the University of Arizona, Louisiana State University and the University of Florida, among others.

Amicus was founded by Robert Utley, who remains chairman. Per the company's website, he was previously the founder of The Utley Group — a real estate firm focused on higher education, finance and technology — and chairman of Inland American Communities, a student-housing investment and management company.

Oak View operates in a variety of fields tied to sports arenas. It designs and builds them through its OVG Business Development division, it manages them through its OVG Facilities division, it helps them secure naming rights and other marketing opportunities through its OVG Global Partnerships division and it even provides security through its Prevent Advisors division.

Oak View announced in March a "strategic investment" from Silver Lake Partners, the same private equity firm that has worked closely with Michael Dell (helping finance both his 2013 buyout of Dell and the 2016 leveraged buyout of EMC Corp.) and that earlier this year invested $250 million in WP Engine Inc.

OVG is currently developing Key Arena in Seattle, a potential future home for a National Hockey League and/or National Basketball Association teams, as well as a new arena for the New York Islanders of the NHL.
I feel like a private developer could cause the design to pivot back to making it a good concert venue which would mean adding support for either the end state or center stage configuration. I can't remember which is the one that supports more people that the current design of the arena doesn't have.
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  #256  
Old Posted Aug 7, 2018, 12:30 AM
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Texas AD Chris Del Conte on creating ‘Longhorn Live,’ women’s athletics, new arena

B

Last edited by Austin1971; Jan 25, 2020 at 7:09 PM.
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  #257  
Old Posted Aug 7, 2018, 2:06 AM
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On building a smaller arena: “Now this is just my mind, no one else’s mind, so let’s just start with that. But there has to be, if you start with a lower bowl that seats say 10,000. You know that upper rake, couldn’t you have a garage door that comes down that’s padded? You never see those seats.

“Somehow a garage door comes down right now and you never see my garage. Imagine if it was padded. You’d never open it up. Now, you have a 10,000 seat basketball stadium. You’re playing in the Spurs’ arena, close the gates on the upper rake and then open them up when you have a concert. Why can’t you do that?

“No one ever thought you’d go from the 8-track to the cassette to the Discman to an iPod to the phone. … Someone’s going to find that technology at some point and time that works for everybody.”
This is exactly what I said when this all started. Maybe even on this thread.
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  #258  
Old Posted Aug 7, 2018, 2:13 AM
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Yep. Post #125

Quote:
I've tried to draw it before, but I don't have the skills. My idea would be an arena designed to be used as just a lower level (most women's games and some men's), but be expandable to an upperdeck for big games and tournaments.

There'd be a lower bowl. At the top of that lower level, there would be luxury suites. The upper deck would be above the suites. For smaller games, there would be a way to cut off the upper deck from view, and also keep the noise down low to make it a louder environment. My mind sees large, dark curtain-like panels draped from above the center court scoreboard to the tops of the luxury suites. But it would obviously have to be done in an aesthetically pleasing way, and not trailer-trashy (OU).
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  #259  
Old Posted Aug 7, 2018, 2:39 AM
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That's a fantastic idea. We do need something like that.

What I know is that Chris Del Conte is the perfect guy to undertake this kind of project. He's incredibly smart, innovative, and is interested in the fan experience/game atmosphere most of all which is exactly what UT basketball needs.
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  #260  
Old Posted Aug 7, 2018, 4:04 AM
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Lot 70 does not look big enough to accommodate a new facility even with the closing or relocation of Red River. Take a look at this aerial of the site. You can scroll out and see the Irwin Center footprint as well.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2807...!3m1!1e3?hl=en
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