http://abc3340.com/news/local/photos-ren...birmingham

Stadium would cost $174M, seat 45k and be able to accomodate 10k temporary seats. Would be built by the BJCC (Bham convention center) and located across from the Uptown entertainment district for those of you that have made it to the CUSA basketball tournament.

The other portion of this plan includes spending $123M to expand and renovate both the interior and exterior of Legacy Arena, a new hotel, 2 new parking decks, expanded Uptown, and a Topgolf.

Funding would come from a bond issue from the BJCC paid off with an existing one cent sales tax collected by the county. The one cent sales tax was passed 10 years ago and was scheduled to sunset, but was reauthorized by the AL legislature last session. However, the procedures used to reauthorize the tax have been challenged and is awaiting trial in the AL Supreme Court. The challenge is not expected to be held up at which point this development could proceed.

Fingers crossed! Both of these projects would be game changers for UAB and Birmingham.

Hope it all happens!!

Nice. Where would this be in reference to the campus?

If it is where I am thinking it is from being at the CUSA tournament. It would be within a couple miles to campus. Looks nice for sure.

That looks good and would be so great for UAB.

Q: Why do they need Legacy arena? I thought UAB played at Bartow Arena (I've seen a few games there over the years.) Could you differentiate for me?

If you build it... Will they come?

It's roughly 2 miles away from campus, but in a substantially better part of town than Legion Field and would be surrounded by other development.

Yes, UAB has Bartow Arena and wouldn't use Legacy as a primary venue. The Legacy Arena renovation would just be a boost for the city with UAB perhaps playing one or two games there per season.

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

I have no doubts

(08-17-2016 04:25 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Nice. Where would this be in reference to the campus?

About 1.7 straight line miles from the new UAB Football Facility. Stadium located at the northern point on the map.

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

That's a lot of endzone seating.

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

Entering the 2014 Season, UAB was coming off 9 straight losing seasons...

2014 DIVISION I FBS LARGEST AVERAGE ATTENDANCE INCREASE
FROM PREVIOUS YEAR
2014 2013 Change
Rank School G Avg. Avg. in Avg.
1. Texas A&M 6 105,123 87,125 17,998
2. UAB 6 21,841 10,548 11,293

Attendance in 2014
UTEP 28,377
UTSA 27,576
Marshall 27,461
USM 22,739
UAB 21,841
ODU 20,118
La Tech 20,054
NT 19,271
Rice 18,562
MT 17,408
WKU 16,306
FAU 14,122
Charlotte 13,272
FIU 11,966

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

With a winning product on the field (see Bill Clark) and a brand new stadium that's no longer in the ghetto, I would strongly disagree.

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

Maybe, maybe not...but there is a much greater local interest after all that happened than there has been in the past. This is like a new expansion team that will draw better for the first couple of years, but by year it better be winning to sustain drawing crowds.

Regardless of that, this it a civic center project as a replacement for Legion Field, the fact UAB will be a tenant is only a partial factor in building a new stadium.

(08-17-2016 04:55 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

With a winning product on the field (see Bill Clark) and a brand new stadium that's no longer in the ghetto, I would strongly disagree.

agreed, fans probably would have come to Legion Field but it's not exactly in a desirable part of town kind of like what's happened to Independence Stadium in Shreveport

Very Nice Stadium. Hope UAB can make it a reality. Legion Field not so hot.

looks like Tulane's without forcing it into a neighborhood

(08-17-2016 04:55 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

With a winning product on the field (see Bill Clark) and a brand new stadium that's no longer in the ghetto, I would strongly disagree.

I'll believe it when I see it. And if Clark does have major success he'll be out of there in a heartbeat.

(08-17-2016 05:20 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:55 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:45 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(08-17-2016 04:37 PM)MU ATO Wrote:  If you build it... Will they come?

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Or in this case, the $174,000,000 question. Based on UAB's craptastic attendance before the football program blew up, I don't see this ever happening.

With a winning product on the field (see Bill Clark) and a brand new stadium that's no longer in the ghetto, I would strongly disagree.

I'll believe it when I see it. And if Clark does have major success he'll be out of there in a heartbeat.

Dude. Stop pissing on the parade. This ain't nothing but good news.