Plans For $45 Million On-Campus UConn Hockey Arena Taking Shape

STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut on Wednesday presented a more definitive picture of what its on-campus hockey arena will look like — a venue seating up to 3,500 built as part of a public-private partnership targeted for the fall of 2021.

“We’re sending a message to the world that we’re serious about this,” UConn Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer Scott Jordan said at Wednesday's board of trustees meeting.

Members of the board’s Financial Affairs Committee and the Building, Grounds and Environment Committee approved a creative financing approach for the $45 million arena.

UConn officials will now negotiate with three developers who responded to the a request for proposals late last year. Once a preferred developer is chosen, the plans will go back to the trustees for approval. An on-campus arena is a requirement of the Hockey East Conference.

The location will be adjacent to the existing Freitas Ice Forum, which will be used for practices and "other activities," UConn officials said. It will have at least 2,500 seats and either go up to or be expandable to 3,500.

The new arena will host all women’s ice hockey team games. The women have been Hockey East members since the 2002-03 season. It will host a portion of the men's schedule. The Huskies have been men's members since 2013 and had asked for an extension to the on-campus arena rule when it was determined that Freitas could not be adequately expanded.

To pay for the arena, a Special Purpose Entity will be created for the construction portion with UConn operating the arena once it opens, according to project outlines.

The SPE will issue tax-exempt bonds worth $22.5 million for the project. UConn will pay $1.6 million annually on the debt, partially offset by the $400,000-plus UConn anticipates receiving from rink rentals.

A total of $12.5 million will be borrowed from UConn's reserve funds, with the amount to be paid back through "philanthropy and athletic revenues," according to a project outline. Jordan said that is a common practice for major capital projects at colleges and universities.

UConn Athletic Director David Benedict said one donor has already expressed interest in giving $6 million for the project. That's a million more than the number being bantered about about four years ago, when the arena was mentioned for a parcel across from Mansfield's town hall. He said the project could draw additional interest from donors.

According to a project outline, the remaining $10 million will come from the sale of the former West Hartford campus and the Nathan Hale Inn. Under state statutes, income UConn receives from property sales must go back into capital projects.

The new rink is anticipated to have about 75,000 "usable square feet," according to a project outline. The I-Lot next to the current rink has 350 parking spaces and that could go up to 400, depending on the final design.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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