The revenue-sharing era of college athletics has changed the way the University of Kentucky operates. One of the first courses of action was transitioning the athletic department to an LLC. Champions Blue quickly sought out ways to generate more revenue. To achieve that goal, Kentucky is pursuing the construction of an entertainment district near Kroger Field.
The home of Kentucky football is the university’s biggest money-maker. The creation of an entertainment district not only amplifies earning power on game days but can also attract business year-round, potentially generating revenue for the university’s athletic department.
Entertainment districts are all the rage in college athletics. Mitch Barnhart and the Kentucky fans who attended last year’s NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee were impressed with the Deer District near the Fiserv Forum. Oklahoma finally cleared legal hurdles to build the Rock Creek Entertainment District, a project that will give the Sooners a new basketball arena with a price tag of more than $1 billion. Tennessee is also in the process of constructing an entertainment district near Neyland Stadium.
The Kentucky project is years away from completion. UK Board of Trustees athletics committee met last week, where the architecture firm Sasaki presented four different options for the new Kroger Field entertainment district. The Herald-Leader’s Jon Hale attended the meeting and has all of the details.
Four Entertainment District Proposals
The Cooper Connector is the most invasive construction proposal. The entertainment district would be on the north side of Kroger Field and would replace buildings currently occupied by BCTC.
The Linear Corridor proposal would keep the entertainment district on the west side of the stadium and line University Drive. The red, blue, and orange lots would receive a facelift, with parking garages constructed nearby.
The University Crossroads proposal is one of the two proposals that would move the Hillary J. Boone Tennis Complex near Kentucky Proud Park. In this proposal, a new building will stand in the place of the current UK intramural fields, which will fill the void left by the current tennis complex is currently located.
The final proposal is the Central Green, which would create a large green space in the current red lot, surrounded by buildings to house tenants in the entertainment district. There’s no indication of who those tenants may be at this time.
After all of these proposals were shared, an obvious question was asked to Kevin Locke, UK’s associate vice president for planning, design, and construction: Where is everyone going to park? Parking is already a daily problem for the growing campus, and Kentucky football fans were frustrated following the last major change in the parking process. If you want people to visit the entertainment district outside of football season, convenient parking is a must.
“There would be a displacement where you’re taking surface parking away,” Locke said. “You would be making up for that parking by putting a parking structure in that area, potentially.”
It’s still too early in the process to tell when this entertainment district could be built. First and foremost, it needs funding. UK officials are preparing to create a final plan in March. From there, construction estimates will determine if this project can move forward.
Another Potential UK Construction Project
In addition to the proposed Kroger Field entertainment district, plans for a new basketball practice facility are in the early stages. The Board of Trustees recently approved plans to purchase the property on the corner of Rose Street and Avenue of Champions for $3.9 million. It currently houses four tenants: Bangkok House, El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and Coliseum Liquors.
This area could be used to create another smaller entertainment district for Kentucky fans who attend events at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The space could also be the setting for the new basketball practice facility. For now, UK plans to let the property’s tenants remain in place for the rest of their leases.
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