On Campus Arena Plans

[jho]

UConn has posted on its website a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the development of a 3,500+ seat arena. The solicitation identifies two potential sites: a parcel in the UConn Tech Park on Discovery Dr. (with acess to Rt. 195); and land adjacent to the existing Freitas Ice Arena (primarily to the south of the existing building). Due date is November 16th.

Here's the proposal: http://evpacfo.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1608/2017/10/HockeyRFEI.pdf

 

[Guapo]

UConn has posted on its website a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the development of a 3,500+ seat arena. The solicitation identifies two potential sites: a parcel in the UConn Tech Park on Discovery Dr. (with acess to Rt. 195); and land adjacent to the existing Freitas Ice Arena (primarily to the south of the existing building). Due date is November 16th.

Here's the proposal: http://evpacfo.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1608/2017/10/HockeyRFEI.pdf

Yessss

 

[Guapo]

Yessss

Just to reiterate:

Yes yes yes yes yes yes

 

[huskymedic]

 

[jho]

Discovery Drive site conceptual plan.

 

[jho]

Potential Freitas expansion.

 

[Guapo]

View attachment 25312

Discovery Drive site conceptual plan.

Can you tell where this is in relation to Busby/Charter Oak?

 

[jho]

Can you tell where this is in relation to Busby/Charter Oak?

This is north of Busby heading toward Rt. 44 on the new Discovery Dr. It's directly opposite a new parking area that was just opened.

 

[CL82]

UConn has posted on its website a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the development of a 3,500+ seat arena. The solicitation identifies two potential sites: a parcel in the UConn Tech Park on Discovery Dr. (with acess to Rt. 195); and land adjacent to the existing Freitas Ice Arena (primarily to the south of the existing building). Due date is November 16th.

Here's the proposal: http://evpacfo.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1608/2017/10/HockeyRFEI.pdf

¶6.6 - Local zoning rules do not apply to either modification of existing buildings or construction of new buildings.

CL82 translation: Shut up Mansfield.

 

[FDNY99]

I posted this in the thread I started about the XL Center...the reality of the threat of it closing has reached the UConn AD office, and they are coming up with a concrete plan to put into motion. This didn’t just pop up over night or coincidently was on track to be handled this way. Benedict was quoted a month or 2 ago that the on-campus ice hockey facility was back of the line unless someone came up with a huge donation to pay for the whole thing.

 

[kibblesnbits]

3,500 seats is pretty small. Didn't HE say 5K minimum when the Huskies were admitted?

 

[FDNY99]

3,500 seats is pretty small. Didn't HE say 5K minimum when the Huskies were admitted?

thought it was 4500...that's capacity though not actual seats...SRO counts as well. If they do it the right way they will leave room to add 500-1000 seats down the road.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Good point. Maybe they could do something clever like put in an SRO section (no seats installed) as they do for some soccer supporters clubs. It's just a loud, dense wall of true crazy fans. Put it behind the visitors 2x goal and make it part of the student section.

 

[Waquoit]

If they do it the right way they will leave room to add 500-1000 seats down the road.

Pardon my french, but screw "down the road." Let's do something right the first time for a change.

 

[FDNY99]

Pardon my french, but screw "down the road." Let's do something right the first time for a change.

I agree...and building a place with 3500 seats with the ability to expand to 1000 more (taking away the SRO tickets and giving them an actual seat) is actually the way to go right now. The ideal number is 5000 but Id rather see 4500 sold out with ticket demand every game than 5000 sold out sometimes.

 

[Fishy]

The phrase 'ability to expand' should be stricken from our vocabulary.

Pick a number. Built an arena with that many seats.

 

[FDNY99]

The phrase 'ability to expand' should be stricken from our vocabulary.

Pick a number. Built an arena with that many seats.

Unfortunately you and I both know that isn't going to happen...they should go 4500-5000 and just be done with it; but if they go 4500...have SRO room for 1000 and can fit 5o0 seats in it down the road it is going to happen.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

The phrase 'ability to expand' should be stricken from our vocabulary.

Pick a number. Built an arena with that many seats.

Bingo. Not to mention indoor facilities like this are very difficult to expand for structural reasons. Gampel was one of the exceptions to this because of its unique original construction. I can't think of a single college hockey rink that was built with the option to expand or that was expanded at any point. Maybe a few replaced some bleachers or something minor that resulted in a few extra seats but no significant additions. Build a 4,500-seat facility and call it a day.

Though we shouldn't assume it's 3,500 - the RFP only says minimum of 3,500.

 

[CL82]

Bingo. Not to mention indoor facilities like this are very difficult to expand for structural reasons. Gampel was one of the exceptions to this because of its unique original construction. I can't think of a single college hockey rink that was built with the option to expand or that was expanded at any point. Maybe a few replaced some bleachers or something minor that resulted in a few extra seats but no significant additions. Build a 4,500-seat facility and call it a day.

Though we shouldn't assume it's 3,500 - the RFP only says minimum of 3,500.

Gampel was easy to expand because it designed to hold more that 8500 seats. They just didn't put them in immediately to appease the state reps from New Haven and Hartford.

As to rink size I'd be happy with something like RIT's Gene Polisseni Center. Seats 4000 with 400 standing room. $37 million.

 

[FDNY99]

Gampel was easy to expand because it designed to hold more that 8500 seats. They just didn't put them in immediately to appease the state reps from New Haven and Hartford.

As to rink size I'd be happy with something like RIT's Gene Polisseni Center. Seats 4000 with 400 standing room. $37 million.

Gample wasn't originally designed to be expanded....my cousin's husband was on the team that designed Gampel...when I told him they were adding seats to it he had a horrified look on his face and asked me where..then went into the story about how they had submitted 2 seats of plans one set was what they built ..the other set had these 1x use hydraulic jacks that would have raised the roof so that another section could be added doubling it's size. The reason the second set of plans was never accepted....it couldn't be bigger than the HCC so that UConn had to play games there. It was the deal that was cut to get the $$ to finish the project.
a place like the Polesseni Center would be awesome.......something like that or something like the Compton Family Arena at ND.

 

[FDNY99]

Bingo. Not to mention indoor facilities like this are very difficult to expand for structural reasons. Gampel was one of the exceptions to this because of its unique original construction. I can't think of a single college hockey rink that was built with the option to expand or that was expanded at any point. Maybe a few replaced some bleachers or something minor that resulted in a few extra seats but no significant additions. Build a 4,500-seat facility and call it a day.

Though we shouldn't assume it's 3,500 - the RFP only says minimum of 3,500.

Didn't QU expand their place?

 

[FDNY99]

Jeff Jacobs: XL Center Questions Dog Huskies, State

One thing I like about Dave Benedict..he is straight up and pulls no punches...so according to what he says in that article they will be making a practice facility at Freitas utilizing the ice sheet...and they are putting plans together to build the on-campus facility required by their HE membership. That facility is being fast tracked in the planning stage due to the unknown about the XL Center. Budget cuts sometimes force people's hand.

 

[CL82]

Gample wasn't originally designed to be expanded....my cousin's husband was on the team that designed Gampel...when I told him they were adding seats to it he had a horrified look on his face and asked me where..then went into the story about how they had submitted 2 seats of plans one set was what they built ..the other set had these 1x use hydraulic jacks that would have raised the roof so that another section could be added doubling it's size. The reason the second set of plans was never accepted....it couldn't be bigger than the HCC so that UConn had to play games there. It was the deal that was cut to get the $$ to finish the project.
a place like the Polesseni Center would be awesome..something like that or something like the Compton Family Arena at ND.

The gaps in the corners were begging for seats to be put there. Hartley moved to expand it two years after it opened. That doesn't sound like it was planned to you? It was built to house more seats, they scaled it back to placate NH and Hartford and then expanded a couple of years later.

Hartley estimates the cost of expansion would be less than $3 million and could be completed in less than a year. In addition to adding seats in the corners of the arena, expansion could include the installation of box seats atop the upper sideline sections.

"A 10,000-seat, on-campus arena is a reasonable optimum size," Hartley said. "We would not want it any larger to compete with the Hartford Civic Center."

Linky

Compton is nice but it at 5,000 it is a tad bid for us. I think 4,000 is right sized for us.

If you just did the lower bowl with standing room up top it would be about right.

 

[FDNY99]

The gaps in the corners were begging for seats to be put there. Hartley moved to expand it two years after it opened. That doesn't sound like it was planned to you? It was built to house more seats, they scaled it back to placate NH and Hartford and then expanded a couple of years later.

Hartley estimates the cost of expansion would be less than $3 million and could be completed in less than a year. In addition to adding seats in the corners of the arena, expansion could include the installation of box seats atop the upper sideline sections.

"A 10,000-seat, on-campus arena is a reasonable optimum size," Hartley said. "We would not want it any larger to compete with the Hartford Civic Center."

Linky

Compton is nice but it at 5,000 it is a tad bid for us. I think 4,000 is right sized for us.

If you just did the lower bowl with standing room up top it would be about right.

I'm just repeating what I was told from a guy who designed Gampel. They were definitely forced on the capacity by having the HCC/XL Center in hartford that is for sure. 4000-4500 seats with SRO room can give you the perfect place for a on-campus hockey facility. You can easily get 4500-5000+ people in there for a big game. And it will be loud as all get out.
Here are HE teams/home rink capacities (from HE Website):
BC/Conte Forum: 7884
BU/Agganis: 6150
Maine/Alfond: 5124
UMass/Mullins Center: 8373
UMass Lowell/Tsongas Center: 6003
Merrimack/Lawler: 3000
UNH/Whittemore Center: 6501
Northeastern/Matthews: 4666
PC/Schneider: 3030
UVM/Gutterson FH: 4007

 

[Guapo]

I'm just repeating what I was told from a guy who designed Gampel. They were definitely forced on the capacity by having the HCC/XL Center in hartford that is for sure. 4000-4500 seats with SRO room can give you the perfect place for a on-campus hockey facility. You can easily get 4500-5000+ people in there for a big game. And it will be loud as all get out.
Here are HE teams/home rink capacities (from HE Website):
BC/Conte Forum: 7884
BU/Agganis: 6150
Maine/Alfond: 5124
UMass/Mullins Center: 8373
UMass Lowell/Tsongas Center: 6003
Merrimack/Lawler: 3000
UNH/Whittemore Center: 6501
Northeastern/Matthews: 4666
PC/Schneider: 3030
UVM/Gutterson FH: 4007

Make the field house into a Gutterson-like rink