Frequently asked
Questions

The Gateway District Project’s primary purpose is to create a northern entry point into campus that will benefit University of Kansas students and faculty, along with Kansas Athletics and residents of Lawrence. The Gateway District will drive both general student and athletic recruitment and create a major economic impact with a transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, which will connect to a multi-use space on the north side of the stadium that will provide amenities to benefit the university and the Lawrence community. The Gateway District will greatly enhance both the fan and student-athlete experience through new and innovative spaces.

Construction on the Gateway District is expected to begin immediately after the 2023 Kansas Football season concludes. There will be multiple phases to the Gateway District construction, with Phase 1 set to include an overhaul to the southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Phase one will be complete and ready for the 2025 football season. The east and south sides of the stadium, as well as the full district just east of the stadium, will be on a different timeline with more information to come at a later date.

The Gateway District will benefit the Lawrence community and its residents in a variety of ways. The project will first provide the Lawrence community with a state-of-the-art football stadium that will have year-round opportunities through premium spaces. The Gateway District will also bring more conference spaces to the city, along with potential opportunities in dining, entertainment and retail, along with the addition of a hotel. The project directly benefits the area economy, drawing in visitors for conferences and events and presenting opportunity for locally owned businesses. The Gateway District signals a move toward sustainable growth, funding academic endeavors beyond state support and enrollment-based revenue.

The new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will greatly enhance the fan experience and include new premium seating offerings, chairbacks with increased area and leg room, additional food and beverage points of sale and more. Due to the scope of the re-imagined stadium focusing on the fan experience, the capacity following the completion of Phase I (a new west and north side plus utilization of the existing east) will be less than the current capacity, but greater than 40,000. Multiple variables will determine final capacity when phase I is completed in August 2025. The 2024 season will see the stadium have significantly reduced capacity as construction of the stadium progresses. Looking beyond 2025, final capacity will be determined in part based on season ticket demand from Jayhawk fans. The phased approach, with completion of the east side coming at a later date, allows for flexibility to grow capacity and/or, for example, to have additional emphasis on premium seating opportunities on the east side.

The only way to ensure season tickets for the 2024 season (significantly reduced capacity during construction) is to be a season ticket holder for the 2023 season. Kansas Football will continue to call David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium home throughout the construction and will not relocate.

Thank you for your interest in supporting this amazing project. There are several ways to support the Gateway District as it comes to life. Fans can visit both the KU Endowment and the Kansas Athletics Development web pages to learn more about giving. Purchasing current season tickets and considering premium ticket opportunities are also ways to support.

Interested parties can find information on the new conference center, and can book and plan conferences in existing University of Kansas spaces, through Jayhawk Hospitality.

The reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will feature ticketing opportunities that fit all fans and supporters of Kansas Football, including improved ADA seating and functionality. More information will be available later, but make sure to support the program for the upcoming 2023 season.

By clicking here you can stay up-to-date with all project news.

Yes! With the new Gateway District situated at 11th and Mississippi streets, there will be endless opportunities for events throughout the year with new conference center space and multiple entertainment options.

University leaders have been in constant communication with the surrounding neighborhood associations and City of Lawrence and have held several informational meetings and charettes in the past months. For more information, please contact Publicaffairs@ku.edu.

No tuition funds or State General Funds will be used for the project. There is a goal to raise $250 million in private funding which will be achieved through philanthropic support. Furthermore, funding for the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium includes $35 million in ARPA funds appropriated to KU by the 2022 Kansas legislature, as well as up to $50 million through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s University Challenge Grant program. These funds will be focused to fund the economic impact aspects of the Gateway District, including the conference center and multi-use opportunities. Additional funds may come from newly issued bonds, the debt from which would be repaid from new revenue streams generated by the stadium.

This project will create revenue streams that will help Kansas Athletics provide support and service to student-athletes of all 16 Jayhawk sport programs.

The final plans for the stadium are still being hammered out. However, the fan experience is a primary consideration when making critical decisions on the stadium. The overhauled David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will feature more concessions, more diverse seating options, videoboard enhancements, improved lighting and WiFi and more.

The University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics are proud to have partnered with design firms HNTB and Multistudio on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. HNTB, headquartered in Kansas City, is a national leader in sports architecture and has been the lead designer for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and several other projects from coast to coast. Located in Lawrence, Multistudio places an emphasis on community improvement and immersion and is known as an innovator in the design industry. KU has also partnered with Turner Construction Company as the construction manager for the project. Turner was named the No. 1 construction manager in the United States by Engineering News-Record. In May, Legends, a global premium experiences company, and Kansas Athletics announced a comprehensive, long-term partnership focused on reimagining the fan experience at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Legends is working with Kansas Athletics to optimize revenue generation and curate experiences for all KU fans. The Nations Group, a professional services development firm based in Scottsdale, has also played a major role in planning for the Gateway District and will continue to make an impact on the overall vision of the project.

The total budget for the project is to-be-determined as we work through final stages of design development.

Companies interested in bidding on a number of opportunities within the Gateway District project can find more information here through the KU Procurement Department.