$58 Million Lindsey Nelson Stadium Renovation Details

[youcancallmeAl]

They are considering a couple of options including flipping the stadium 180 and removing the street behind. And looking at building new stadium at Cherokee farms across from UTMC as another option.

You have a reliable source on this?

 

[Volprofch05]

I'd like to see something like this. It will take 6 frat houses out - they could be rebuilt at site of current stadium ir elsewhere. The current LNS footprint is shown, including the left field porch, but it could be enlarged if desired. It gives entrance off of main street and current pedestrian way. Would have a great street prescence. Could take advantage of topo and grade the site so the main concourse is at field level with seating bowl below street level and an upper level of stands. So would walk off the street and either go down or up to your seats. Has room beyond the right and left field fences for grass berms that could be planted on the back sides and top with tall evergreens that would screen the current views of ugly RR and industrial/electrical uses beyond (those things look bad on TV), and give cheap seats for people who would watch from the grass. Or beachers could be built there, or both. Connect Frat Dr. To Todd Helton Drive for thorough emergency vehicle access. Keep outfield parking (frat parking) where it is now as stadium parking for staff and VIP, or use the area for something else (facilities, etc.) Indoor facility area shown in blue. It's a very efficient use of space within the current road system. This keeps it directly on campus which is something Tony V wants. The reason you rebuild is for better fan experience - concessions, seating, overhead structure integrated into the design, entrance area is not in the back yard of a frat house, etc. I don't want to see LNS with upgrades in current place, like putting lipstick on a pig. Let's do this right. For 60 million, something like this should happen.

I support any plan that takes out 6 frat houses, whether it is for a new stadium or just for the hell of it

 

[fryeguy93]

I agree with everything you said here. Seems that way all through history. However, they must have some type of informal working relationship. That gravel lot across Todd Helton is technically RR property if you pull up the map on KGIS. I've wondered why the RR grants them use of it or if the map is wrong.

driveway at the back of the property that accesses property.CSX never uses the lot so it’s the least they can do

 

[fryeguy93]

Funny story
In the Early years at LNS there was no hitters eye in CF and a midweek night game Delmonico sent a trainer down to break out an light on pole in the rail yard that was behind the pitcher and distracting batters

Trainer Opie Taylored a rock and broke the bulb. CSX raised hell the next day - I believe, after seeing security footage

 

[vol66]

Word on campus FWIW is the apartments thing is legit. Having stood there tonight I could kind of imagine it. I still think it’s weird, but that was the buzz.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Word on campus FWIW is the apartments thing is legit. Having stood there tonight I could kind of imagine it. I still think it’s weird, but that was the buzz.

Apartments where?

 

[vol66]

Apartments where?

Sounded like beyond RF. I didn’t ask anything other than…is that for real? I’m not the one saying it, it’s just what I heard.

 

[Orange Floyd]

As a land planner and site designer, that's been my general experience with railroads, and CSX in particular. Which is one reason I don't see us using the current site. It's just too constrained to do much with it, and it has all of the other problems, too, such as unsightly views beyond the stadium and no room to do anything about them, poor street presence, entrance sequence in the back yard of a frat house, etc.

I used to work in economic development and no one was more difficult to work with than the railroad.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

I used to work in economic development and no one was more difficult to work with than the railroad.

That's been my experience. When they answer the phone they don't say "Hello?" Instead, they say "NO."

 

[ArmchairQB]

I know logistcally its impossible but damn what I wouldn't give to have a new stadium built right by the river like Neyland! It would be so awesome to see dingers hit into the water, similar to the SF Giant's stadium!

This would be my dream solution too. And it's maybe actually possible. UT has already floated a south waterfront expansion as a place to put residence halls - apparently we're in a buying mood.

University of Tennessee to build 2 new dorms | wbir.com

This is the view from Blount Avenue:


Imagine building right up to the water on this site, by new residence halls, and having a dock for the Vol Navy to come to baseball.

Edit: oh and the plan calls for a pedestrian bridge to link to campus somewhere around TBA.

 

[taylorvol]

Wow! This would be sweet. Vol Navy for baseball would be Epic!

 

[MAD]

Wow! This would be sweet. Vol Navy for baseball would be Epic!

Which is the MLB park where they sit in small boats waiting for HR balls?

 

[ArmchairQB]

Wow! This would be sweet. Vol Navy for baseball would be Epic!

Having the Henley Street bridge all lit up in the background on Friday and Saturday night games, a paddlewheel riverboat chugging by the ball park, you couldn't ask for a better scene. It'd be a killer selling point for the program too having that on TV for people to see.

 

[ArmchairQB]

Which is the MLB park where they sit in small boats waiting for HR balls?

McCovey Cove where the Giants play? I want to say Candlestick Park but I'm sure it's some business name... googling... yeah Oracle Park now.

 

[taylorvol]

Which is the MLB park where they sit in small boats waiting for HR balls?

San Fran Giants.

 

[WallyBalls]

Wow! This would be sweet. Vol Navy for baseball would be Epic!

And it doesn’t have the issue of the heavy hitters across the water whining about lights and noise…

Man, that would be amazing.

 

[brentcontractor]

Idea - Move 3 frat houses to the grass area off Volunteer in Frat row labeled as "Fiji Island" on the map. This will allow the stadium to shift that direction and also allow a grander entrance. It is sad that the railroad will not work with municipalities.

 

[ArmchairQB]

It wouldn't take all that many buyouts to do this. This is where I put my park. Move Blount Avenue over to run along the home-side bleachers, with nice wide pedestrian walkways between the stadium and the street. Wide open views of Neyland, the Hill, the Sunsphere and the Henley Street Bridge. Still have the porch, in left field, except the porch is riverfront. This is 520' on a side (and really poorly, quickly drawn with not even remotely right angles probably), which is maybe roughly a 40' bigger footprint than LNS. It's a ballpark looking straight into the heart of UT and Knoxville. Maybe call it Dickerson Yard, after Dickerson Park just up the hill behind it. And the field Lindsay Nelson Field. Oh and the G10 garage right across the proposed pedestrian bridge, for parking. Just a stroll across the river to the ball game.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

This would be my dream solution too. And it's maybe actually possible. UT has already floated a south waterfront expansion as a place to put residence halls - apparently we're in a buying mood.

University of Tennessee to build 2 new dorms | wbir.com

This is the view from Blount Avenue:
View attachment 452388

Imagine building right up to the water on this site, by new residence halls, and having a dock for the Vol Navy to come to baseball.

Edit: oh and the plan calls for a pedestrian bridge to link to campus somewhere around TBA.

NOW we're talking!!! Thinking big. I like it!

 

[WallyBalls]

On Basilio today, Vitello pretty much shot down any ideas of moving or flipping the stadium. Really focused on just improving what’s there. Sounded focused on the experience more so than the size.

Which…as fun as the River ideas sounded, is what is best. The stadium has a lot of unique and special qualities…losing them to build some 10k seat soulless McMansion of a stadium ain’t the right thing.

 

[MAD]

It wouldn't take all that many buyouts to do this. This is where I put my park. Move Blount Avenue over to run along the home-side bleachers, with nice wide pedestrian walkways between the stadium and the street. Wide open views of Neyland, the Hill, the Sunsphere and the Henley Street Bridge. Still have the porch, in left field, except the porch is riverfront. This is 520' on a side (and really poorly, quickly drawn with not even remotely right angles probably), which is maybe roughly a 40' bigger footprint than LNS. It's a ballpark looking straight into the heart of UT and Knoxville. Maybe call it Dickerson Yard, after Dickerson Park just up the hill behind it. And the field Lindsay Nelson Field. Oh and the G10 garage right across the proposed pedestrian bridge, for parking. Just a stroll across the river to the ball game.

View attachment 452443

Is that cow farm still on that side on the way to the airport?

 

[fryeguy93]

There really is little room on the southside of the river and a lot of different private landowners. Sure, you can have a stadium. But there will be very little room for parking short of a garage.
PLUS, the roads over there are TERRIBLE. A railroad (of course) overpass limits traffic to one lane.

A stadium over there would requite way to much infrastructure improvement.

The money allotted toward stadium is greatly higher than what Kentucky spent on their new stadium. There stadium really does not seat all that many in permanent seats but they do have the GA berm type seats that basically double the capacity.

I think the most cost effective solution is the Cherokee Farm site. No demolition. Little to no utilities to move. Can build new and still use LNS during construction. Nearly unlimited parking opportunities. But what does UT do with the improvements at LNS the last 12 years. Gift it to softball. Intramural. Indoor track? What about the Richy Rich families across the river who will undoubtedly pitch a hissy fit? Why not move baseball AND softball to Cherokee? I don't like that the teams play at the same time anyway. A baseball/softball double header would be awesome. With good design, they could actually share a common gate entrance for fans. They could have common souvenir areas. They could share a huge field house like the basketball teams share their pavilion.

I do think the school realizes the fraternity houses are a huge waste of space. Most are at the end of their life span and they are simply too spread out. A Fraternity park like the sorority area has now makes more sense and baseball could be in the Fiji Island area. The houses could be demolished and rebuilt in half the current space they use now with smaller footprints with more floor

All in all, I think they will just improve the current site. Which is good, I want to see the name remain on the stadium. Sooner or later the railroad will leave for a more common sense location

Just more thoughts.

 

[fryeguy93]

That being said. Just tear down the original grandstand and rebuild and leave attached to right field plaza. Build similar plaza area on left field side.. But don't leave as plazas.
Make the upper deck structure shorter but to cover the RF plaza and new LF areas.
Build three level porches in left field in a more permanent looking structure with elevators and restrooms.
Seating from foul pole to foul pole would get about 6,000. I'm not hung up on outfield bleachers right now. Wait until the railroad leaves and the street can be closed.

 

[ArmchairQB]

Is that cow farm still on that side on the way to the airport?

It is, yeah. My big question mark about anything on the other side of the river is something Fryeguy mentioned, namely what to do with your car. Seems like for Cherokee Farms or sandwiched between UT Hospital and the river there’d be just one way in and out to Alcoa Highway. So if you’re parking at/near the stadium be prepared for it to take a while to get out, and you’re plain not walking there from anywhere else. Maybe they’d lean into running shuttle buses to get people to lots elsewhere.

 

[ArmchairQB]

There really is little room on the southside of the river and a lot of different private landowners. Sure, you can have a stadium. But there will be very little room for parking short of a garage.
PLUS, the roads over there are TERRIBLE. A railroad (of course) overpass limits traffic to one lane.

A stadium over there would requite way to much infrastructure improvement.

The money allotted toward stadium is greatly higher than what Kentucky spent on their new stadium. There stadium really does not seat all that many in permanent seats but they do have the GA berm type seats that basically double the capacity.

I think the most cost effective solution is the Cherokee Farm site. No demolition. Little to no utilities to move. Can build new and still use LNS during construction. Nearly unlimited parking opportunities. But what does UT do with the improvements at LNS the last 12 years. Gift it to softball. Intramural. Indoor track? What about the Richy Rich families across the river who will undoubtedly pitch a hissy fit? Why not move baseball AND softball to Cherokee? I don't like that the teams play at the same time anyway. A baseball/softball double header would be awesome. With good design, they could actually share a common gate entrance for fans. They could have common souvenir areas. They could share a huge field house like the basketball teams share their pavilion.

I do think the school realizes the fraternity houses are a huge waste of space. Most are at the end of their life span and they are simply too spread out. A Fraternity park like the sorority area has now makes more sense and baseball could be in the Fiji Island area. The houses could be demolished and rebuilt in half the current space they use now with smaller footprints with more floor

All in all, I think they will just improve the current site. Which is good, I want to see the name remain on the stadium. Sooner or later the railroad will leave for a more common sense location

Just more thoughts.

Yeah a stadium over there is probably a pipe dream but it’s a darn nice one if I do say so myself Although if they get so far as to buy the land, stick a pedestrian walkway clear across the river, and plop some residence halls down on it like they’re talking about, they’re probably a fair bit down the road in terms of infrastructure improvements already just to get to the point where you could have potentially hundreds to a thousand students or so living over there. A stadium over there only works if there’s foot traffic over the water and the public parking is substantially on the other side of it. Which, CTV says the stadium needs to be on campus and he’s not wrong. For me, it’s not on campus if it’s an unreasonable trip from where students live.