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UNC has 40 years of history in its Smith Center home. Deciding what's next is proving complicated
UNC debates renovating the 40-year-old Smith Center with $591 million cost versus a $786.4 million off-campus arena, balancing tradition and revenue potential.
- University of North Carolina officials are narrowing the choices to three options with no firm decision timeline, and UNC data released Wednesday showed an off-campus arena could exceed $786.4 million.
- Emotional attachment to the arena, which turned 40 in January, and costly Band-Aid fixes for the roof and ADA issues drive the debate over its renovation versus new off-campus arena.
- A Smith Center renovation would cost roughly $591 million and generate about $4 million annually, while Carolina North and Odum Village options promise $26 million and $25 million yearly.
- Donor-Seat rules mean 4,357 existing rights would not transfer off campus, planned capacity range of 16,200–17,700 seats would reduce size, and renovation timeline may finish by 2029 while new-build timeline could extend to 2031.
- University officials have slowed the process and expanded outreach, with Roy Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, and the 'Committee for a South Campus arena' collecting roughly 38,000 petition signatures opposing off-campus relocation amid rising $14 million NIL spending.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Associated Press News
UNC has 40 years of history in its Smith Center home. Deciding what's next is proving complicated
North Carolina is mulling options for whether to renovate the 40-year-old Smith Center or relocate to a new basketball arena in the coming years.
A new UNC basketball arena could cost over $700M. Here's why and how much the program could make.
The debate over the future of the Dean Dome has divided Tar Heels, but now university officials have disclosed how much each of their seven current options could cost and how much revenue it might generate.
Smith Center evolution discussions continue as 3 top contenders emerge | UNC-Chapel Hill
Three arena options have emerged as top contenders in the evolution of Carolina basketball, senior associate athletic director Rick Steinbacher told Jones Angell and Adam Lucas on the second episode of “The Arena Discussion” segment of the “Carolina Insider” podcast. Those include renovating the Dean E. Smith Center and building a new arena at either Odum Village or the new campus expansion site in Carolina North. How did we get here? Carolina h…
Chansky's Notebook: The Man in the Arena
Written by MICHAEL KOH There are no more games at the Smith Center this basketball season, but the arena is still top of mind. Seth Trimble, Carolina’s beloved senior guard who played his final home game Tuesday night, provided a viral mic-drop moment at the end of his senior speech. As he was about to sign off, Trimble said he hopes to see the Smith Center here for a long, long time. The crowd let out a loud cheer. The reaction from athletic di…
Renovating Smith Center among three frontrunners of arena options
Three top arena plans of seven options have emerged as Carolina weighs a consequential decision for the future home of Carolina men’s and women’s basketball. Senior Associate Athletic Director Rick Steinbacher revealed the top options on Wednesday on the second episode of “The Arena Discussion” podcast.
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