The Advocate
LSU has long considered renovations to the aging PMAC, but early last year officials began to pursue a new stadium capable of hosting concerts and other events that have bypassed Baton Rouge . Some involved wondered if the city could support the project until some of the developers who visited expressed interest in a partnership.
"At that point, we were firmly planted in a place where we knew we were no longer going to renovate the PMAC," said Keli Zinn , LSU's executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer.
While the location and other details have not been finalized, Zinn said, the on-campus arena would cost an estimated $350-400 million in private funds and potentially hold a maximum of 13,000 seats. The arena would open in five years — possibly sooner — and the developer would cover the cost in exchange for building ownership and revenue from non-LSU sports events. LSU has narrowed the initial list of developers to two semifinalists.
Whether or not the plan moves forward hinges on approval of an ordinance the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council is scheduled to consider Wednesday. Facilities owned by the city-parish, mainly the Raising Cane's River Center arena, would be prevented for 30 years from hosting both live performances with more than 3,500 attendees and professional sports with more than 8,500 fans unless it receives permission.
Those involved in planning believe the LSU arena project could make Baton Rouge more attractive, though others have concerns about the effect on downtown.
Charles Landry , a local attorney who was hired to work with LSU on the new arena, described the ultimate goal as "a string of pearls" connecting the area. The proposed venue, subsequent changes to the River Center, a potential renovation to Memorial Stadium and other similar ventures could happen in conjunction with one another, possibly keeping people in the city for special events.
"They go to New Orleans , they go to Lafayette ," said Metro Council member Carolyn Coleman , whose district covers LSU, the River Center and Memorial Stadium . "Why? Because we do not have that calling card that those other places have. And so this arena would be the epitome of what we would need in order to make what everybody is talking about: a better Baton Rouge."
A shift in plans
Two months before they hosted the developers, a group of LSU officials went to Austin, Texas , to see the Moody Center.
The University of Texas at Austin and the Oak View Group , a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Denver , formed a partnership in 2018 to build the on-campus arena. It opened four years later and hosted 139 acts within the first 20 months.
A versatile arena seats 15,000-plus at its maximum capacity, but it can be condensed to 10,763 for Texas men's and women's basketball. The San Antonio Spurs have two games this week at the Moody Center. Tim McGraw , Lauren Daigle , Madonna , Bad Bunny and others scheduled concert dates this spring. Multiple comedians, a lecture tour and Monster Jam will also pass through.
"I think there were some folks who said to themselves, 'Well, we're not Austin, Texas . Do we have the capacity to be able to support something like this?'" Zinn said.
LSU's scouting party wanted to tour the arena and understand how it was paid for. The venue, which sits on land owned by the school, cost $375 million in private funding. In exchange for naming rights, the Moody Foundation donated a $130 million grant. The Oak View Group retains most of the income from non- Texas events for at least 35 years.
As LSU officials learned more, they coalesced around the idea of creating their own version, especially after the meetings with developers. Landry said those "regulated our expectations of what Baton Rouge can support." One developer noted the city does not have Austin's arts and music scene, but Landry viewed less local competition as a positive.
"Baton Rouge has been the great wasteland for entertainment," Landry said. "We can consolidate our efforts as a community and focus the large entertainment opportunities and event opportunities at the new LSU arena and not have that level of dilution. We don't pretend to be on the same level as Austin, apples to apples, but we think we have some interesting opportunities in Baton Rouge that Austin doesn't have."
Deciding to pursue a new arena meant pivoting away from the PMAC, which opened in 1971. Potential renovations have been discussed for years as the building aged. As recently as summer 2022, an architectural and design company was conducting a study on the stadium and helping chart a master construction plan for the athletic department.
Zinn said renovations on the PMAC would have cost "well north of $200 million ." LSU wanted to expand the footprint, which would have required moving the track for an additional $96 million . LSU later considered moving the track to build the new arena in the same place, but it scrapped the idea.
Landry, who was hired by the Tiger Athletic Foundation to devise a financial plan for the potential renovations, looked at new market tax credits and historic tax credits for funding.
"It still became readily obvious there wasn't enough revenue stream to improve the PMAC," Landry said. "The biggest hole in the financial equation was the use of the facility for entertainment and events as it was from its initial construction through about the mid-80s."
Even with improvements, Zinn and Landry said, the structure could not host modern concerts, which can require as much as 20 tons of equipment to hang from the ceiling. The scoreboard over center court also would impede the view of a stage from some seats. And without those concerts and other events, there would not be an additional revenue stream.
"If we just did that, you're looking at a sports arena," Zinn said. "Our intention with this was not just an upside for athletics. It's very much a community asset and something that we know will elevate Baton Rouge and the communities beyond."
If LSU gets approval to move forward on a new arena, Zinn said the PMAC would be renovated but at a lesser cost. Rather than updating the stadium to maintain its current role, construction would focus on building offices, strength and conditioning areas and practice space.
Though the developer has to decide if every sport currently played in the PMAC would move to the new arena, she said "that's currently what we've communicated would be the ideal scenario."
"I want to make sure it's inclusive, not just for one or two sports, but for everyone who has a need," gymnastics coach Jay Clark said.
'Generational project'
In August 2023 , a feasibility study about the River Center's arena found its approximate capacity of 7,200 for concerts fell below the median capacity of 9,400, making it difficult to attract top acts.
The study, conducted by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International , found the space needs premium seating, suites and other upgrades. The study estimates renovations to the arena would cost between $80-95 million , depending on when they started.
Wayne Hodes , general manager of the River Center, said potential renovations to the entire complex could cost an estimated $120-150 million . The study presented multiple scenarios for the 47-year-old complex's future.
"The bones of the building are good," Hodes said. "It's just in dire, severe need of updating. To the extent that it can be updated, it's a very relevant facility. Now the question is in what fashion do we update it, and where's the funding coming from if in fact we're going down that route."
How the River Center functions would change with a new arena at LSU. Developers don't want larger acts split between two venues because it would reduce potential revenue. The River Center could become a space catered toward conventions with a new headquarter hotel.
"We would like to be as collaborative as possible and identify what exactly is best for Baton Rouge as a whole," Hodes said. "Whatever that is, then we'll forge ahead."
While the River Center's theater and exhibition hall would be excluded from the restrictions under the ordinance, the arena's purpose would shift, making the new LSU stadium a space for large concerts and the River Center a smaller venue.
Recognizable acts that used to come through Baton Rouge have faded over the years even as the city's population has grown, drawn to arenas with premium seating that can support their equipment.
Those who support the project think a new arena supported by LSU's brand could help bring them back. The area also needs more venues with smaller capacities, similar to the Texas Club and Chelsea's Live, to foster a music scene.
"Tying all these places together, let's magnify the investment that LSU might make and then that the River Center might make," Baton Rouge Area Foundation president and CEO Chris Meyer said. "Then Baton Rouge as a city is really winning on all the fronts."
If the ordinance passes, LSU is ready to move quickly on the new arena. It would then request proposals from the developers, who would come back with a design for the facility and financial proposal.
And while the school would take the next step toward construction, others in Baton Rouge hope the projects — from the River Center to Memorial Stadium — happen simultaneously in order to improve the entire area.
"This is a generational project," Landry said. "That's the only way you can look at it. If we can pull this off, we will affect generations in Baton Rouge to come. We'll keep people here and we can recruit people to come here, and they're not going to do it unless we're able to pull this string of pearls together."
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