Directly from the official UW Site
University of Washington athletic director Scott Woodward announced today that the university's RFP Selection Committee has chosen a development team for the renovation of Husky Stadium. The team is led by local developer Wright Runstad & Company, and includes 360 Architecture for design and Turner Construction for building.
"After careful analysis and evaluation of all the submissions, the RFP Selection Committee has unanimously decided that Wright Runstad's proposal provides the best overall value for the project," Woodward said. "We are excited to take the next step in such an important process to our university and community."
The planned renovation will restore iconic Husky Stadium to one of the finest college football venues in the country. Plans include the complete demolition and reconstruction of the lower bowl and southside upper stands. The track will be removed, and the field lowered four feet to bring seating closer to the playing surface and improve sightlines. A state-of-the-art football operations facility including team meeting rooms, recruiting facilities and coaches offices will be incorporated into the west end of the stadium. Premium seating opportunities, including 25 suites, 25 loge boxes, and over 2,500 club seats, will be built into the facility. Overall seating capacity is expected to remain similar to the current capacity.
"We are honored to embark on such an exciting project," Jon Runstad, Chief Executive Officer of Wright Runstad & Company said. "These renovations will provide Husky fans with a facility to match the first-class tradition of Husky football."
The plan has a total project cost estimated at $250 million, nearly $30 million less than the next-closest proposal.
The committee's decision was based on a number of factors including project cost, potential for future revenue generation and experience of the development team, with cost being the biggest factor. The proposal will be brought before the university president for approval before the university begins the process of ratifying an official pre-development agreement with the development team.
"I am appreciative of the committee's time and diligence in evaluating the submitted proposals," university president Mark Emmert said. "I am excited that a unanimous decision has been reached, and I look forward to reviewing the proposal."
The proposal selection arms school officials with enough specifics about the renovation project to begin major gift solicitation immediately. According to Wright Runstad & Company's proposal, construction on the stadium is tentatively scheduled to begin after the 2011 football season. Under this proposal, construction would move the 2012 season off-campus, and the Huskies would return home to the renovated Husky Stadium for the 2013 season.