You don't get the dynamic. UConn doesn't have the juice.
i think the Storrs Center project shows that locals and the University can agree enough to get something done (although I understand building a football stadium is different than a downtown). Having an oncampus stadium with no amenities is an awful idea, but why have people not thought about this as an idea?
1. Build the stadium on horsebarn hill
2. Create an alternate entrance to UConn/The stadium via the area behind the hill. Have the exit be specifically for UConn/The football stadium. Having two exits off the highway helps alleviate traffic on the way in.
3. Extend "W" lot (near the greek village) and open it up to season ticket holders as a parking option on saturdays in the fall, use it as general parking the rest of the year.
4. continue to build larger parking lots that can accommodate a large number of people. there is an abundant need for parking in Storrs, and building these parking lots helps to solve that problem. build them all around different parts of the campus so that there are essentially three entrances instead of one. I believe UConn also recently purchased Farmer Brown's property, which should help current students park.
5. Have the UConn busses run constantly from these parking lots to the stadium every 10/15 minutes starting three hours or so before the game. Fans can utilize these busses to go to the downtown Storrs Center or get to the stadium early and watch warmups. This way you don't have the congestion in the middle of campus with cars but people can easily access the area by foot and by bus. As far as I know there are already 4 entrances to the campus, and this would be the best option as trying to have people park and drive through the middle of campus would be hectic and would not work.
Problems regarding the stadium being on campus:
1. There ABSOLUTELY needs to be a hotel in or near enough to Storrs for the opposing teams to stay in. This actually needs to happen asap irregardless of the football stadium situation. Offering the Nathan Hale Inn just isn't going to work. Doesn't need to be an over the top nice place, a simple Holiday Inn with 500 or so rooms would do just fine.
2. The transportation issue is tough yes, but if you're building a 32,000 seat stadium (what the stadium capacity was going to be had we built it in Storrs the first go round) and you're more than likely getting anywhere from 20-28k per game depending on the opponent, its not impossible to get around by using the parking lot/bus idea. People have found ways to get many more humans into more difficult areas.
3. This stadium couldn't/wouldn't be built for at least another 20 years. Nobody is going to just "give up" on the Rent after 10/15 years. Once its time to talk about renovations and expanding, then it makes sense to look into an on-campus option.
4. It's a political death trap for anyone in office who brings it up. It is truly a shame however that with the billions of dollars being pumped into UConn some of that couldn't be used for an on campus stadium.
One other thing that bothers me is when people say we need to "build a fan base". Does nobody understand that you don't build a fan base through 45/50 year olds? While the university should continue to market to them and do everything in their power to have them bring their families to game, a fan base should be built through connecting with the current students who are on the campus, creating jobs/living situations that are attractive to current students near the campus (have any of you seen the current housing situation in and around Storrs? There needs to be some life pumped into a lot of these properties badly) and making the games affordable to the recent/young graduates so they keep coming and ultimately bring their families to the games one day. The problem with putting the games in Hartford for football and basketball is that while it may give you some money now it doesn't maximize your capital in the long run because you don't get as many students (potential buyers) involved not only financially but emotionally. I've been at UConn for two years now and I've never been to a game at XL Center, and I probably won't venture down there in my last two years either. Bussing students to games is a joke. Nobody wants to get on a yellow schoolbus and ride with strangers 35 minutes to the stadium and watch UConn/Buffalo dead sober (can't wait to see the student crowd for UConn/Memphis in December).
One last point and I'm done- moving start times back from 12 pm would help with traffic a lot. Playing games at 1,2,3:30 means people arrive at different times, and not all at once. I know the start times have a lot to do with TV contracts but those can easily be negotiated as Networks like SNY need programing like UConn football. If you don't come to a 2 or 3:30 kickoff in Storrs because you're "worried about the traffic" then in my opinion you're just lazy and making excuses. Especially now that the new Storrs Center is being developed downtown there are plenty of things to do throughout the day to make UConn football a special event.
