By Brian Murphy, WRAL

The University of North Carolina is considering at least six options for replacing or renovating the Dean E. Smith Center, the home to the Tar Heels’ men’s basketball program.

The six options: Bowles Parking Lot, Odum Village, Smith Center Renovation, Smith Center Replacement, Friday Center and Carolina North.

All the plans can fit a 16,000-seat arena, according to the final report issued by the Physical Master Plan Working Group commissioned by Chancellor Lee Roberts in the spring. The group’s recommendations were due August 1, but were just made public by the university.

The school hired a Kansas City-based architecture firm for more than $200,000 to produce a site planning study. The firm’s findings were due July 31, but have not yet been made public.

There are no cost estimates or project timelines outlined in the report.

All the sites can handle post-game traffic within 60 minutes without new roadways, and parking for the on-campus sites can be handled with existing lots and garages.

Each plan presents challenges, according to the report.

The Bowles Parking Lot site would require a non-traditional training layout, the replacement of 620 parking spaces and work on a 40-foot storm sewer and a campus-wide chilled water line. The Bowles Parking Lot is located next to the Smith Center.

The Odum Village site conflicts with UNC’s current Campus Master Plan land use. Odum Village once was the primary graduate student and family housing spot for the university, but it has fallen into disrepair since its closure in 2016.

The renovation plan and the replacement would require the men’s basketball team to play off-site during construction and would require the construction of a new natatorium for the Tar Heels’ men’s and women’s swimming teams. The swimming venue is located next to the Smith Center.

The Friday Center and Carolina North are both off-campus locations. Neither are within a safe walking distance from campus. The Friday Center site would need structured parking to accommodate arena and mixed use needs. All existing uses on the site would need to be relocated.

The Carolina North site needs further study of utility infrastructure to get an estimate of costs and schedule. Carolina North is a research and mixed-use academic campus planned for 250 acres two miles north of the main campus, according to the school.

Both off-campus sites would be mixed-use developments. The university would provide bus transit for up to 3,000 on-campus students to each game for the off-campus locations.

“The Smith Center discussion centered on eight options that would create a dynamic environment that supports the planned athletic uses in an economically sustainable fashion,” the report said.

Only the six options are listed in the report.

The report calls for campus leaders to finalize a decision from ongoing committee work that will stretch into the fall and to create a stakeholder and public communication plan. It also states that if the Smith Center site were to become available, proactive planning for site development should start immediately.

The Smith Center opened in 1986 and it has a capacity of 21,750. The university has been contemplating its future for nearly a decade, even as it has made improvements to the Smith Center during that time.

Source: wralsportsfan.com