Views of Iowa Arena, scheduled to open late next year in Coralville, near Iowa City. (JLG Architects)
A small arena under construction in eastern Iowa could signal a trend for major colleges in search of new facilities for nonrevenue sports, supported financially by mixed-use projects.
The Iowa Arena, a 5,600-seat facility in Coralville, sits about two miles from the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. It’s part of a $190 million mixed-use development covering a Staybridge Suites hotel, retail, restaurants, condominiums and an athletic performance center attached to the arena.
The arena is targeted to open late next year. Under the financial model, which includes a mix of public and private funding and tax credits, the $40 million arena piece will essentially be paid for over time by revenue tied to the surrounding development, officials with Johnson Consulting said.
The Chicago firm completed a peer review of the project and its potential economic impact. Stafford Sports was the original consultant hired by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is heading the development. University of Iowa women’s volleyball and men’s ice hockey plus amateur wrestling will be part of the event mix.
A similar situation is unfolding at another Big Ten Conference school, the University of Illinois, said Brandon Dowling, Johnson Consulting’s director of sports and entertainment. In Champaign, there are two proposals — one downtown and one on campus — to build a 5,000-seat arena for multiple women’s sports and, potentially, men’s hockey. Earlier this month, Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman said he hopes to greenlight a Division I men’s hockey program by the end of the year, according to local reports.
Both sites include mixed-use elements to support arena events, Dowling said. Last year, Johnson Consulting advised a developer tied to the on-campus plan, which calls for an arena to be built south of State Farm Center, home to the school’s basketball programs. No decision has been made on the new arena site, and no details are available regarding financing or construction for the proposals.
The Iowa Arena was the final piece of the puzzle for overall development. It’s part of Coralville’s master plan for growth, which dates to the late 1990s but was stalled in part after a massive flood devastated the region in 2008, said Joshua Schamberger, president of the convention and visitors bureau.
Iowa has committed to playing women’s volleyball games at the arena. It’s part of Athletic Director Gary Barta’s strategy to upgrade the program and free up space for sports competing for space at on-campus facilities. Women’s volleyball now plays home games at 15,000-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Top attendance for the 2017 season was 4,729 for a match against traditional power and Big Ten rival Nebraska on Oct. 7.
On its own, Iowa has studied the possibility of starting a Division I men’s hockey program, but no decisions have been made on that front, Schamberger said. As it stands, hockey is a strong club sport at Iowa, and the school plans to move home games from a single ice sheet at a local mall to the new arena. Logistically, opponents could include Iowa State, Illinois State and Missouri State, all of which play club hockey, Schamberger said.
Separately, Iowa Arena officials are in discussions with the U.S. Hockey League and the ECHL about potentially signing a deal for a minor league hockey tenant in the building. Spectra will run the arena and is part of those negotiations, said Brian Hixenbaugh, the venue’s general manager.
There is already a USHL team in Cedar Rapids, situated 25 miles north of Iowa City, as well as in Dubuque, which sits about 85 miles north. Despite the proximity of those teams, league officials are bullish about putting a second team in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City market, which they feel would cut down on travel expenses.
“They feel it’s not competition, but supplemental,” Schamberger said.
Iowa Arena officials will also compete for amateur wrestling events in a hotbed for the sport. The new facility will have an edge over Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which has never been able to book international wrestling events over the summer months because the seating bowl is not air conditioned, Schamberger said.
The 53,000-square-foot athletic performance center, a partnership with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, adds flexibility for the arena to book Olympic sports events.
“It’s designed to be one complete sports facility and the home of the Hawkeyes,” Schamberger said. “That’s why it was designed in black and gold colors. Olympic sports will help make the facility a great venue for all events.”
Officials are seeking a 10- to 20-year naming-rights deal valued at $400,000 annually. They’re negotiating with a company, though it's not known what category the business is in.