What the New Kroger Field Entertainment District could look like

[Matt Dillon]

The revenue-sharing era of college athletics has changed the way the University of Kentucky operates. One of the first courses of action was transitioning the athletic department to an LLC. Champions Blue quickly sought out ways to generate more revenue. To achieve that goal, Kentucky is pursuing the construction of an entertainment district near Kroger Field.

The home of Kentucky football is the university’s biggest money-maker. The creation of an entertainment district not only amplifies earning power on game days but can also attract business year-round, potentially generating revenue for the university’s athletic department.

Entertainment districts are all the rage in college athletics. Mitch Barnhart and the Kentucky fans who attended last year’s NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee were impressed with the Deer District near the Fiserv Forum. Oklahoma finally cleared legal hurdles to build the Rock Creek Entertainment District, a project that will give the Sooners a new basketball arena with a price tag of more than $1 billion. Tennessee is also in the process of constructing an entertainment district near Neyland Stadium.

What the New Kroger Field Entertainment District could look like - On3

[Pobilly]

IF the university is going to do something like this, they need to make it an indoor stadium for many sporting events. Make sure Lexington and surrounding counties have the rooms for people coming to the area and go for big events like Final 4, Bowl or championship games as well as other championships. Our location would be perfect for that stuff. If it is just minor changes again to make others feel good about themselves then dont change a thing. UK needs all sports right there and downtown needs to get over it.

[largebluej]

Green Lot gets taken out by one of those plans. Red Lot by another. Article says those spots would be replaced by parking structures, but that would be a big blow to tailgating.