KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Wednesday, the University of Tennessee unveiled additional details about its plans to build a "Neyland Entertainment District" near Neyland Stadium. The plan calls for changing the G10 parking garage to an entertainment space, along with a new condo-hotel building, retail space and restaurants.
"I just think that this project is going to give that piece of Knoxville a facelift that is way overdue," said Laura Schroeder, a Tennessee fan. "All I've seen are what's been made, like, the renderings and things. But I'm just floored at how awesome that looks. And I think, kudos to the vision that the leadership has, Danny White and that whole entire team that's developing this."
She said she has tailgated at the G10 parking garage in the past, and her children would play on the nearby grass and train tracks. But, her family already plans to move to a new tailgating spot.
"It's a change, going to be a change for us to not tailgate right there, but we decided as a family that we're going to go ahead and move this year and switch spots and create our new normal," she said. "It will be missed for sure."
She said she hoped that, overall, the entertainment district would be great for the entire community.
"Not only for the campus but for the community, for the student-athletes, for the residents of Knoxville. And the river is such an important part of the town, of the city. And now to connect the athletics or the stadium with that is going to be super special," she said.
She also said she believed it would be great to get visitors arriving in Knoxville.
"I think it'll be a tourist attraction actually," said Schroeder. "I mean where else in the country can you go and see something like that for a college football game? Nowhere that I know of."
WBIR reached out to UT with questions about how much the entertainment district would change parking in the area. UT said nobody was available to answer questions until construction is approved and finalized, and referred to information the university's athletics department shared in a press release.