WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Several projects at UNCW were given the green light on Thursday.

The university’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2024 Campus Master Plan at its quarterly meeting. The plan includes 33 projects, 18 of which are expected to become a reality within the next one to five years.

“With the passage of the master plan it allows us to hit the ground running on refining some of these individual projects and really getting more granular on the scope, schedule and budget of each of these individual projects,” Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs for UNCW Miles Lackey said.

Some of the larger projects include a possible new sports arena and a new hotel and conference center on UNCW’s campus.

Director of Athletics for UNCW Michael Oblinger said Trask Coliseum’s amenities just aren’t meeting attendees’ standards.

“When you think about it, we can’t cook our own food here,” Oblinger said. “So the food is bought somewhere else and brought here for concessions. Restrooms are in need of updating as well. So again, some of the amenities that if you go to a newer building, a newer arena that fans are accustomed to as it relates to in-game and those are some of the things that we’re missing here with our current setup at Trask.”

Administrators are also looking at expanding seating by creating new suites and increasing capacity in the lower bowl so more fans can get closer to the court.

Leaders are now trying to decide whether or not renovations will bring the arena up to par or whether a new build will be necessary.

“Every option is on the table for us as it relates to a new build or renovation, but this was the first step today,” Oblinger said. “We now can go forward and explore those two different options.”

Either way, Oblinger sees the potential expansion or new construction as a win-win for both the department and Seahawks fans.

“We’ll be able to drive more revenue. So again, the department as a whole will be healthier financially,” Oblinger said. “It’ll be a game-changer for us. Obviously, our student-athletes will benefit from it, our fans will benefit from the new amenities.”

When it comes to the new hotel, Lackey said it was added to the plan after hearing feedback for years.

“As a growing institution, a lot of folks are visiting campus and they need a place to stay,” Lackey said. “Ideally someplace convenient and having it right here on campus we just see as a fantastic opportunity.”

The next steps include administrators looking for even more feedback on the projects. In particular, season ticket holders and donors can expect to receive a survey in the fall about what they want to see out of the Trask Coliseum renovations.

Lackey says while they are still ironing out details for all the projects on the list, he thinks the Seahawk community will be pleased with the final products.

“This is a beautiful campus already and we’ve already made a lot of strides over the last five or six years, this just enables us to take that next leap and I think UNCW stakeholders and the community are going to be super excited when they visit campus and see all the work that is being done here over the next few years,” Lackey said.

You can find the whole list of projects on page 26 of the Board of Trustees Business Affairs Committee’s presentation.

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