GMU: Where Construction is Tradition

[MasonSAE4]

It's interesting that when questioned last year on the possibility of football, Edwards stated that the basketball program had to be in good shape first and there was some "infrastructure that needed to be completed." Wonder if that was just a reference to the practice facility or a new arena as well.

 

[Walter]

Let's worry about other things first. The arena formerly known as the PC is still better than most A10 arenas.

 

[GSII]

Let's worry about other things first. The arena formerly known as the PC is still better than most A10 arenas.

And Wake Forest's. 100% better experience at Patriot Center.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

The seating bowl can't be moved or rotated, so it would have to be gutted and completely redone in any renovation. I can't see the folks in charge wanting to shutdown the building for an entire year considering the amount of money that comes in for Mason to help keep other costs at bay. A new arena would probably be more likely.

Agreed. You could build the new arena across 123 while the current one is earning revenue and the transition at completion. Once your activities are at the new facility, blow up the old one.


Broads, Buicks, and Buckley

 

[GSII]

Imagine how easy traffic would flow if new arena is down by current athletic fields. Shuttle could swing by umall to pick up drunks.

 

[GMU92]

Imagine how easy traffic would flow if new arena is down by current athletic fields. Shuttle could swing by umall to pick up drunks.

Only hurdle I see is battling the NIMBYs who bought townhomes about 20 feet from the current athletic fields. Don't underestimate what a pain in the a$$ this is. It took Miami about a decade to get approvals/permits through Coral Gables for the on-campus arena.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Only hurdle I see is battling the NIMBYs who bought townhomes about 20 feet from the current athletic fields. Don't underestimate what a pain in the a$$ this is. It took Miami about a decade to get approvals/permits through Coral Gables for the on-campus arena.

But it's not as if Mason would just be popping up out of nowhere to build the arena across from 123. The land over there has held athletic facilities for years. The people who bought the townhomes knew what they were building next to - shouldn't come as a surprise. Not sure they'd really have a say in what Mason does with their land. But I digress, I'm no expert in this field, just opinion.

 

[GSII]

Mason, the billion dollar engine in ffx, vs joe dickhead?

 

[MasonSAE4]

But it's not as if Mason would just be popping up out of nowhere to build the arena across from 123. The land over there has held athletic facilities for years. The people who bought the townhomes knew what they were building next to - shouldn't come as a surprise. Not sure they'd really have a say in what Mason does with their land. But I digress, I'm no expert in this field, just opinion.

Probably noise ordinances are what you'd be battling. Can't imagine much noise is coming from Spuhler Field or Mason Stadium. Patriot Center would be a different story.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Probably noise ordinances are what you'd be battling. Can't imagine much noise is coming from Spuhler Field or Mason Stadium. Patriot Center would be a different story.

Just buy that spate of townhouses and turn it into university storage.


Broads, Buicks, and Buckley

 

[psyclone]

I remember that Mason lost the fight with homeowners to have the power lines on the residential side of Braddock road when Johnson was still president. Although there was some compromise about the electronic bill board display in terms of hours of operation and number of messages posted per unit of time.

 

[wijg]

From what I've been told, Mason can do pretty much what it wants on it's land. The compromise on the message board was purely a courtesy

 

[Pikapppatri8]

I remember that Mason lost the fight with homeowners to have the power lines on the residential side of Braddock road when Johnson was still president. Although there was some compromise about the electronic bill board display in terms of hours of operation and number of messages posted per unit of time.

That had more to do with certain regulations given the size of the lines.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

From what I've been told, Mason can do pretty much what it wants on it's land. The compromise on the message board was purely a courtesy

Correct

 

[MasonFanatic]

I've heard that the neighbors won't let us put up lights for the baseball stadium. I imagine they'd fight the arena, too.

 

[GMU92]

I've heard that the neighbors won't let us put up lights for the baseball stadium. I imagine they'd fight the arena, too.

Yep, that's my concern. The message board issue was resolved but I recall that being a big pain in the butt for a good while...Sharon Bulova was strutting around and got her son in the General Assembly to submit a bill placing all college/university signage under municipal (county or city) control. All the UVa and W&M alums running the joint in Richmond ultimately told him to shove it up his a**. That said, it shows you what people will do to try to hamstring these kind of efforts. It might be possible to accomplish, but this might take a lot longer than imagined.

The check mark in our favor is that an on campus arena has always existed, starting out in the current RAC and moving to the current EBA in the mid 1980s. For Miami, the modern on campus hoops arena was new, getting Miami out of the Miami Arena (thank goodness what a rat-infested dump that was).

 

[GiantKiller_Co]

I'd just be blown to have a dramatically smaller arena. 8K seats and up is a must considering all the events EBA/PC usually holds outside of basketball.

 

[GiantKiller_Co]

I've heard that the neighbors won't let us put up lights for the baseball stadium. I imagine they'd fight the arena, too.

F*ck them. Buy those old Chokie/Wapoo alums out. Eminent domain on em folk

 

[MasonSAE4]

F*ck them. Buy those old Chokie/Wapoo alums out. Eminent domain on em folk

Make Mason great again?

 

[MasonSAE4]

Just buy that spate of townhouses and turn it into university storage.


Broads, Buicks, and Buckley

I really wish Mason would buy up more land over on West Campus. Seems like with a bit more it could really be something special in terms of athletics/student life