Renovations to Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas (MLS), are being scaled back after bids on the project came in seriously above projections.
You can thank the healthy construction industry in Dallas for the issue: FC Dallas president Dan Hunt and crew were expecting bids in the $350 per square foot range, and instead bids came in at $511 per square foot. A rise in the price of concrete and a construction boom that’s tied up many contractors directly led to the higher-than-expected bids.
So FC Dallas is scaling back the project. Gone is the 360-degree concourse, with the National Soccer Hall of Fame built above a fan walkway; instead, the Hall of Fame is being down to street level, eliminating the 360-degree concourse. In addition, a tower (shown above in the original plan) and a canopy over the south stands are being scaled back in the name of value engineering. The changes are trimming $16 million from the high bids, keeping the project to a $39 million budget. From the Dallas News:
“We believe that this is a much more efficient design, and it will lend itself to an improved museum experience from all patrons,” [FC Dallas president Dan] Hunt said.
Plans for two 100-person locker rooms with separate tunnel access to the field, new video boards, a new audio system, an enhanced data system, suites and an auxiliary press area remain unchanged.
The $39 million in upgrades for the city-owned stadium were approved last year to add space to house the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The revisions also improve functionality for high school games as well as the annual NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title game held there each January.
Despite the value engineering, the upgrades should improve the fan experience at Toyota Stadium. The team could use the boost: the team is last in MLS attendance rankings.