ATHENS - Josh Brooks isn’t slamming the door on the idea of an entertainment district around Georgia, but the Bulldogs’ athletic director says there’s no immediate push to make that kind of project happen.
Brooks said UGA is aware of the way other SEC schools are using mixed-use developments to generate revenue, but he stressed that Sanford Stadium’s footprint doesn’t leave much room to work with in the middle of campus.
“It’s still far away right now; I don’t think we have anything immediate,” Brooks said. There’s nothing (space wise) in the footprint of Sanford Stadium. That area is very tight, and it’s in the middle of our campus.
“I don’t think (an entertainment district) fits like it does in some of the places where they’ve done more, that are more closer to the cities.”
Around the league, the concept is gaining steam. Tennessee recently unveiled plans for a $280 million entertainment district between Neyland Stadium and Food City Center, and other SEC programs - including Oklahoma, LSU, Ole Miss and Kentucky - are also working through planning or construction tied to similar projects.
The Tennessee district is expected to bring in a guaranteed base rent of $1.5 million for the university, along with a share of gross operating revenues above $25 million each year from entertainment, condo and hotel components. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the project will include a condo-hotel overlooking the stadium, a rooftop bar, restaurants and fan experiences.
Georgia, Brooks said, is not there yet. But he did point to land south of campus as an area the school has already used for major development, including a $59.8 million, 37-acre track facility across from Jack Turner Stadium and the Turner Soccer Complex.
“We’ve always opened our minds as we look at land usage and continued to develop on South Milledge Avenue, always asking the question of what’s possible,” Brooks said.
“I’m a never say never kind of guy, but you have to be respectful of your campus and community in terms of seeing what fits.”
Brooks framed those kinds of projects as part of a broader shift in college athletics, where schools are looking for non-traditional ways to bring in money while still supporting football, women’s sports and Olympic programs.
He said Georgia will keep looking at ways to make better use of its existing venues - Stegeman Coliseum, Sanford Stadium and Foley Field among them - for events beyond the usual sports calendar.
“We’ve got these phenomenal facilities, Stegeman Coliseum, Sanford Stadium and Foley Field, and you think about how we can program these things out, whether it’s concerts or other activities,” Brooks said. “
Brooks pointed to the April 24 “Live Between the Hedges” concert at Sanford Stadium as a success.
“The concert was successful,” Brooks said, referring to the event that featured Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Zach Top and Lauren Alaina.
“It’s definitely something we’ll do more of in the future, as well as being open to other sporting events, whether that’s an outside soccer match, or maybe something else that can move the needle.
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