Athletics director Joe Castiglione provided an update regarding a plan for a future basketball arena during OU’s Board of Regents meeting on Tuesday.
Castiglione said the university is still exploring options, but there’s been discussions with the City of Norman for an off-campus venue surrounded by an entertainment district, along with the possibility of a complete renovation of the Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners’ current home.
“It's sort of a simultaneous effort,” Castiglione said of planning both options at once. “We’re not waiting on one or the other but having both going at the same time, when we get the right results, we can make the best decision.”
Castiglione said OU should have more information ahead of the regents' meeting in June. He also said OU hired an architect tasked with “re-imagining” how the LNC could be redesigned.
Six years ago, Oklahoma announced a proposal for an entertainment district and new arena in asking for an estimated $90.75 million for public incentive investment, but it was struck down due to opposition from the community in Norman.
The 2017 proposal included a 10,000-seat arena with 800 club seats, 30 loge boxes, 20 luxury suites, 12 regular suites and 2,600-lot parking garage.
“There's an effort that's been underway for the last few months,” Castiglione said. “We're working with the city and the county and a group called Team Norman, who approached us about the reconsideration of an off campus, new arena, that is part of an entertainment district. The site is land still owned by the University of Oklahoma Foundation, similar to a project that took place (previously).
“It’s an entirely new effort and this group has been working to really do its own deep-dive study. The study included the development of a broad market survey and the survey that was put out in December and then reset in early January. That survey is now the results that we're going to get are all in it's being compiled.
“...It's a high-level schematic of how this entertainment district would operate and be set and positioned on that land at the University of North Park. (It will show) how it interacts with other elements that are either already there, under construction or planned for construction, and how the whole model creates an economic impact and obviously positive impact for the community of Norman in Cleveland County.”
Castiglione isn’t concerned about the potential distance of a new off-campus arena, however. He cited a recent survey noting that most students drive to basketball games.
“We did a survey several years ago,” Castiglione said. “Most of the students that come to games, about 85% of them drive. So, driving to Lloyd Noble or driving over there. You know, I think, from their engagement, it wouldn't change that much. I know the assumption is because it's on campus that they just walk right out of the dorm and walk into the Lloyd Noble Center. That's really not been the case for the 27 years that I've been here.”
This story was edited by Austin Curtright and Colton Sulley.
