Classic City Arena is happening

Be aide it’s also being used for larger convention space as well. I wouldn’t anticipate this being a primary home situation for UGA unless they’re going to go in on a fiscal partnership to cover building costs. I would hope they may play a few games here a year

It's just kinda weird to me. I've always trumpeted the "there's nothign wrong with stegeman" tune and I still stand by it. But one of the main hangups to any major changes was what would be presented as an alternative. I know you in the past have always said it'd be badass to have an arena downtown so people could hang out and get dinner and drinks and walk over to the game but space was a concern. So now we have an addition to the classic center so no need for new land or a new building. It's perfect! It answers everyone's problems! And yet...it's a rinky dink 6K seat venue (for bball I mean) that's better fit for a 7A high school.

It jsut seems like they could have just gone a LITTLE bit further and actually made it a legit arena for UGA bball but decided in the 11th hour to half arse it instead

I haven’t seen an official date, no, just mentions of 2023. I believe they’re building the parking deck first and then the arena.

Per an article from the Flagpole last year when it was still going through the proposal phase:

quote:

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The arena is expected to bring in 55 sporting events, 25 concerts, 15 conventions, 10 family shows and 20 community events per year, many of them lasting multiple days.

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I think unless UGA were to step in and help shoulder costs in a partnership similar to why Kentucky has with Rupp or Carolina with their setup, we’re at the mercy of what the Classic Center needs/can afford and justify. Too, may be that the Classic Center doesn’t want UGA’s involvement in this; willing to rent out the space for a sporting event but not enter into a longterm cost/profit sharing agreement

As size goes, both Auburn and Ole Miss arenas hold ~9k as the smallest in the league.

In the ACC, Miami’s holds 7,900 as the smallest arena with Tech and BC the next smallest at 8,600 each and Notre Dame, Duke, and Va Tech each with roughly 9k per.

So 7.5k isn’t great and not what I’d have envisioned (10k is my magic number for the size of the program and is what Stegeman holds now) but, again, UGA doesn’t seem to be involved either by choice or by omission on the part of The Classic Center

1: Is it safe to assume this is another waste of SPLOST dollars?

2: Why is there a choo choo train in the rendering?

3: This looks shittier than the place they held the All Valley Karate Championship.

1. I believe this is partly funded by SPLOST but not completely

2. Because there has been this two decades long pipe dream of a people mover in Athens that’s never going to actually happen because it would cost hundreds of millions to do it and it would basically only be able to run from Classic Center to South Milledge (I.e. hundreds of millions in tax dollars to pretty much only serve the university)

3. What? You aren’t a fan of the Omni?

Isn't there also some kind of large venue already being built at 441/10 on the north side?


LINK

Was supposed to be an amphitheater up there but far as I can tell it died out with 2020