BOT approves funding for design phase of football campus
The UCF Board of Trustees unanimously approved two items Thursday that relate to athletics director Terry Mohajir’s grand plan to upgrade the university’s athletics village as well as expand the football stadium.
The trustees approved a proposal of a minor amendment to remove “Project 33 McNamara Cove” from the UCF 2020-30 Campus Master Plan and add “six UCFAA Football Campus Projects,” which still include McNamara Cove.
In addition to the cove, the other projects are expansion to UCF’s football stadium in the form of a south tower, renovation to the Wayne Densch Sports Center, Nicholson Plaza, relocation of a football practice field and more seating on the north side of stadium.
The trustees also approved the use of up to $4.8 million in funding to start the design phase of the football campus projects.
With the funding approved, UCF will advertise the project to eventually make a pick for a design team.
Both items were approved by the board’s facility and infrastructure committee Wednesday prior to being shared in front of the main board.
Trustee Jeff Condello, who also serves as vice chair of the facility and infrastructure committee, made the presentation for approval to the rest of the board.
The meeting’s agenda revealed a spending breakdown for parts of the football
campus projects.
As previously reported by the Orlando Sentinel, the total cost of the projects are expected to be upwards of
$125 million.
Specifically, the south tower has projected total cost of $60.09 million, the north tower $29.76 million, renovation to the sports center $20.26 million, movement of the football practice field $4.74 million and Nicholson Plaza plaza roughly $4.3 million.
The plans make it clear these costs are just estimations and may be altered based on “scope changes, schedule delays, and market conditions.”
Mohajir has previously said these proposed upgrades are paramount for where the football program is and where it needs to be in the future. UCF is leaving the AAC to join the Big 12, and that transition could happen as early as 2023.