Some interesting insider talk on an OCS

[bullsbucsfan426]

Good evening everyone. I know everyone has talked about having an on campus stadium, and everyone has their take as to where it should be, how to build it, etc. That's fine. I'm just bringing some facts to light which I learned today from talking to Victor Crist, who's on the Hillsborough County Commission and previously served as the State Senator representing the USF area. 

 

1. Crist has worked very closely with Genshaft on a number of issues regarding the USF area and an OCS. He says that they do not plan on renewing the lease at Raymond James when it ends, mostly because of how unfavorable the terms are to USF. So we can expect an on campus stadium within the next decade. If this is the case, I'd imagine fundraising will start seriously within the next one to two years, if it hasn't already. I can't imagine they'd be waiting any longer than that if they want to build a high quality facility (as opposed to some other stadiums in Florida we can name).  Seeing as the lease is due to expire in 2016 (unless my information is wrong), the 24 month option to get out of the lease would be due sometime next year if these plans are serious. 

 

2. Genshaft's top priority is to create a "Driveway to USF" via the area around the VA and Suitcase City. The plan is to phase out the Fowler Avenue entrance as a main entrance to the University for visitors, and to move it towards 131st Street, where USF Health and our other scientific research facilities are located. The goal for her is to give the impression that whichever side of Bruce B. Downs you're on, you are still at USF-one of the more minor steps you may have already seen towards this goal is the USF flags on the light poles around campus, etc. If anyone hasn't noticed, the VA is steadily building all the way down to 22nd street as well as Fletcher-with the health sciences facilities at USF on the other side, the idea that this is USF will be reinforced. Pure speculation on my part, but you have to wonder if the College of Medicine will start looking at trying to move into Florida Hospital (formerly UCH) across the street as their teaching facility. The on campus stadium would be the crown jewel for the University area, and it would probably be one of the last buildings built in the area. Walmart is also building what you could call a "gourmet" Walmart in the area. As you can tell, the county and the city are pretty keen on cleaning up Suitcase city. 

 

3. Right now the old soccer and track stadium isn't considered a priority spot for an OCS. Crist stated that the land around it is considered too small to support a football stadium. In addition, USF is keen to ensure that the stadium can be seen from 275-on campus stadiums are meant to show off a university and would be a big marker telling people "Here is USF". Demolishing University Mall is highly unlikely as well-it's commercial property and as such would be a major blow to Hillsborough County tax rolls if the land was converted to a stadium. The top option for locating the stadium is the trailer park in the area around 131st. It's residential zoning, and would be the cheapest to roll off the tax rolls-as well as much less costly, since the mobile homes can be moved elsewhere. A second option, and this is more for Crist than for Dr. Genshaft, is to locate the stadium closer to Busch Gardens and make it a joint use stadium with the Rays. It's not considered particularly likely at this point either, especially seeing the land they want to use is a Historic Site and would be difficult to get permission for construction. 

 

 

That's pretty much everything I heard from Crist today-we only got to speak on the issue for about ten minutes after the BOCC meeting. Full disclosure-I did tell him I was going to post it, and he actually encouraged me to. So if you want to speak to Victor Crist further on the issue-I'd highly recommend calling his office and setting up a meeting-he's surely more accessible than Dr. Genshaft at this point. He's a Bull for life-which is a lot more than I could say about some other morons we've seen in our state legislature over the years "cough Alexander and Latvala cough". 

Edited May 17, 2013 by bullsbucsfan426

[K-Rock Da Bull]

STADIUM!!!!!!!

[namuh-bull]

Dual use with a baseball team?  No thanks on that one.

 

 

Go Bulls!

[Triple B]

Good evening everyone. I know everyone has talked about having an on campus stadium, and everyone has their take as to where it should be, how to build it, etc. That's fine. I'm just bringing some facts to light which I learned today from talking to Victor Crist, who's on the Hillsborough County Commission and previously served as the State Senator representing the USF area. 

 

1. Crist has worked very closely with Genshaft on a number of issues regarding the USF area and an OCS. He says that they do not plan on renewing the lease at Raymond James when it ends, mostly because of how unfavorable the terms are to USF. So we can expect an on campus stadium within the next decade. If this is the case, I'd imagine fundraising will start seriously within the next one to two years, if it hasn't already. I can't imagine they'd be waiting any longer than that if they want to build a high quality facility (as opposed to some other stadiums in Florida we can name).  Seeing as the lease is due to expire in 2016 (unless my information is wrong), the 24 month option to get out of the lease would be due sometime next year if these plans are serious.

Unless a huge donor steps up quickly, there's no way they build anything decent in time to for the 2017 season .... and I always thought, all things considered, the lease we had was pretty good. 

 

 

2. Genshaft's top priority is to create a "Driveway to USF" via the area around the VA and Suitcase City. The plan is to phase out the Fowler Avenue entrance as a main entrance to the University for visitors, and to move it towards 131st Street, where USF Health and our other scientific research facilities are located. The goal for her is to give the impression that whichever side of Bruce B. Downs you're on, you are still at USF-one of the more minor steps you may have already seen towards this goal is the USF flags on the light poles around campus, etc. If anyone hasn't noticed, the VA is steadily building all the way down to 22nd street as well as Fletcher-with the health sciences facilities at USF on the other side, the idea that this is USF will be reinforced. Pure speculation on my part, but you have to wonder if the College of Medicine will start looking at trying to move into Florida Hospital (formerly UCH) across the street as their teaching facility. The on campus stadium would be the crown jewel for the University area, and it would probably be one of the last buildings built in the area. Walmart is also building what you could call a "gourmet" Walmart in the area. As you can tell, the county and the city are pretty keen on cleaning up Suitcase city.

If that's true, no offense to Judy, but that's one of the dumbest ideas I've heard. The Fowler entrance is great and I don't see a way to do anything near that on 131st ..... and a "gourmet' Walmart is still a Walmart.

 

 

3. Right now the old soccer and track stadium isn't considered a priority spot for an OCS. Crist stated that the land around it is considered too small to support a football stadium. In addition, USF is keen to ensure that the stadium can be seen from 275-on campus stadiums are meant to show off a university and would be a big marker telling people "Here is USF". Demolishing University Mall is highly unlikely as well-it's commercial property and as such would be a major blow to Hillsborough County tax rolls if the land was converted to a stadium. The top option for locating the stadium is the trailer park in the area around 131st. It's residential zoning, and would be the cheapest to roll off the tax rolls-as well as much less costly, since the mobile homes can be moved elsewhere. A second option, and this is more for Crist than for Dr. Genshaft, is to locate the stadium closer to Busch Gardens and make it a joint use stadium with the Rays. It's not considered particularly likely at this point either, especially seeing the land they want to use is a Historic Site and would be difficult to get permission for construction.

There's no trailer park off 131st anywhere near BBD that I know of so I have no idea where this "top option" is located .... and it wouldn't matter anyway, IMO. An OCS that's not really on campus defeats the purpose of the atmosphere trying to be achieved by having one.

Are you sure it was really Victor Crist you were talking to??

[Reliable Source]

Well Trip has spoken, I guess we've put all that to rest.

[Breedwell]

 

There's no trailer park off 131st anywhere near BBD that I know of so I have no idea where this "top option" is located .... and it wouldn't matter anyway, IMO. An OCS that's not really on campus defeats the purpose of the atmosphere trying to be achieved by having one.

 

I could be wrong but they could be referring to the buildings located literally right next to the VA. Its the intersection of 121st and 28th... 

 

google map/people view "13102 North 28th Street, University, Florida, United States" and you might see what I mean.

 

The legitimacy behind that would be the stadium would be right next to the UATC, but I can't begin to imagine that would make any sense, given that the stadium would then be right next to a hospital with sickly patients. 

 

If they want to put a stadium on campus but not somewhere densely populated like where the track is and such, they should invest in using that massive patch of grass on the south west corner of the main campus square (BBD-Fletcher-50th-Fowler). It would be without question large enough to house an OCS, and probably a parking garage as well. 

 

Screwing around more with google maps, that patch of land is about 2000 feet in length, and I'm sure (by comparing FAU's stadium's crude dimensions in google maps) anyone with more construction experience than I could figure out a way to fit at the least a 40-50k stadium in the squarer portion. I'll show you what I mean:

 

 

And they could fit a parking garage right next to it to the right, and perhaps utilize the fact that the Beard garage is a 10 minute walk from that area as well. 

 

I think that could be a legitimate spot. I don't think that's been readily considered, but it should be. 

 

 

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For the stadium to be visible from something like 275, it would have to be pretty close to it, judging by how one can't really see USF from 275 at all. 

[Reliable Source]

right next to a hospital with sickly patients.

 

Is there another kind of Hospital?

[USF_BULLS_R_WE]

If we want space and tradition. Demolish Greek Village put the stadium there and make a Greek Row.

[slick1ru2]

IF there was a serious fund drive going on, we'd have heard about it.

 

In the next decade Ray Jay is due for a serious upgrade. At 20 years most NFL teams want a new stadium or massive upgrades, especially now that the NFL seriously considers every NFL stadium a serious contender for a Super Bowl. Look at San Fran, Atlanta and Miami. USF having input into making it a more college game day friendly environment may be something that happens too, along with a renegotiation more favorable to USF. Winning on USF's part, putting more fans in the seats makes the USF contract more attractive so yet another reason to get the program going ASAP.

[WoolyBully]

...do not plan on renewing the lease at Raymond James when it ends, mostly because of how unfavorable the terms are to USF.

 

Well, we'll see what happens when lease negotiations start. It could be that the 'unfavorable' to some is not that unfavorable to those writing checks.