A Sea Of Red

Liberty has submitted a Conditional Use Permit for the expansion of the football to 25,000 seats (23,100 actual seats and 1,900 grass seats on the hill). The application can be found here: http://etrakit.lynchburgva.gov/etrakit3 ... oject.aspx Search for project number: WEB1708-0002

Here are the highlights of the narrative:
"Liberty University has recently announced that it will move from the FCS to the FBS, effective in 2019,
and will be an Independent in college football’s highest division. This move will require certain changes
to the existing stadium, including additional seating of various types, and changes to facilities and
systems that support television network coverage of games. A new scoreboard, signage, lighting, food
service, data handling facilities, box “loge” seats, camera platforms, and an entrance gateway feature are
all proposed, along with road improvements to improve traffic flow generally, and on game day. Several
new bus loading and unloading areas are being provided at or near the stadium as part of the infrastructure
improvements.
Recent zoning ordinance changes allow Liberty wider latitude within permitted uses of the new zoning
district; however, stadia and arenas require Conditional Use Permits. While the University has an eye on
the long range continued expansion of the stadium in the future, the proposed work and CUP application
are for a total of 25,000 seats; 23,100 actual seats, and approximately 1900 spectators on the grass berm in
the “bowl” behind the southerly end zone. The stadium as currently configured is understood to have a
capacity of 19,200. "

There were a couple of pictures of the proposal that are too large to include but here are the links:
http://etrakit.lynchburgva.gov/etrakit3 ... 8081517042
http://etrakit.lynchburgva.gov/etrakit3 ... 8081527043

Thoughts?

That looks pretty awesome.

Fire!

Very similar to Scott Stadium with the "bowl" being grass seating. I think it looks great.

Exactly what I wanted to see.

Where are the visitors locker room and the new screen?

The current stadium is 19,200 so that's only adding 3,900 actual seats. The renderings look like a lot more than 3,900 seats added. Guessing the CUP would be for this season with the depicted stadium being the "continued expansion"?

Not too shabby. I personally prefer more of an overhang but maybe there is it just doesn't reflect on the drawings

Definitely a facility to be proud of. Doesn't have to be the biggest. This place will still get a lot of respect at the collegiate level.

When my wife and I are on campus we often smile and ask ourselves "Where did our dumpy, little college go???" Hard to believe it's changing so quickly, but certainly excited about what's to come!

Only thing missing from those angles is the scoreboard/jumbotron. Overally, the new stadium looks AMAZING!

The massive bowls of fire are pretty sweet too.

UVALibertyFan wrote:Liberty has submitted a Conditional Use Permit for the expansion of the football to 25,000 seats (23,100 actual seats and 1,900 grass seats on the hill)

With the 2018 schedule tickets will go fast, the grass hill will be very crowded

I too am a little curious how these seat counts are working. Looks like there is some bleachers embedded in the grass, which presumably are part of the 3900 “actual seats.” If the upper deck of the home side added 7k seats, then it’s not adding up for me. Also, i'd think we can get more than 1900 in the grass.

Overall, glad that they are still wrapping it into a bowl, even if the seat counts are lower than expected.

Hmmmmm.
Doesn't seem to be plans for a student side tower anymore? And not sure what they're doing to the baptist side but something looks different with the tower itself as well as those 2 multi story structures at each end?

PAmedic wrote:Hmmmmm.
Doesn't seem to be plans for a student side tower anymore? And not sure what they're doing to the baptist side but something looks different with the tower itself as well as those 2 multi story structures at each end?

Looks like add-ons to make it symmetrical with the "student side" tower.

Our story, includes link to Liberty official release with additional photos

http://www.aseaofred.com/liberty-set-to ... -to-25000/

Nacho Fountain?

Minor point, but I would like to see the fire bowls replaced by something like is in The Coliseum in LA.

I wonder how much will be done before the 2018 season?

A friend told me that this expansion will make Williams Stadium LARGER than 14 current FBS stadiums.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_N ... l_stadiums

willflop wrote:I too am a little curious how these seat counts are working. Looks like there is some bleachers embedded in the grass, which presumably are part of the 3900 “actual seats.” If the upper deck of the home side added 7k seats, then it’s not adding up for me. Also, i'd think we can get more than 1900 in the grass.

Overall, glad that they are still wrapping it into a bowl, even if the seat counts are lower than expected.

I think i sorted this out. I read in the old expansion blog that phase 2 would add 4k seats to the student section mid deck, then 6k to the shoe for phase 3. So that adds up, once you consider that the 2nd deck isn't as many seats as you would think. I assume the 7k from the 2010 expansion includes the 18 suites and whatever lengthening they did to the east and west sides.

I am surprised there doesn't seem to be any suites on the student side. I thought they were a cash cow.

Baldspot1 wrote:I am surprised there doesn't seem to be any suites on the student side. I thought they were a cash cow.

The drawings above show phase 1&2, which perhaps mask the apparent addition of suites on the "Baptist" side. Compare with these pics for reference:

I'm very happy for the new stadium, but I wonder where the visiting team's locker room will be?

Looks like club level seating is being expanded to stretch all the way across the upper deck.