Plans offer glimpse at CSU stadium's party deck

Preliminary plans for CSU's on-campus stadium show the north end zone being home to a party deck, or more appropriately,a party patio, that opens to the campus.

"Pitkin Porch," presumably named after the nearby street, will provide fans with a variety of options for enjoying the game-day experience, preliminary plans reveal.

Artist's renderings give a glimpse into what stadium planners and school officials envision for the party deck. The plans were obtained by the Coloradoan through an open-records request. They haven't been released publicly, Colorado State University officials said, because they still are subject to change.

The new stadium, expected to open for the 2017 football season, is designed to hold 41,000 fans with 36,000 seats. That leaves up to 5,000 fans with no assigned seat, and the majority of those are expected to watch the game from the open areas of the north end zone, architects have said.

Algen Williams of Populous, the Kansas City-based firm designing the stadium, told two advisory groups during the planning process the open concept is gaining popularity with fans.

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The Colorado Rockies added a party deck, or rooftop terrace, for spectators at Coors Field in Denver, and the "Party Pass" standing-room only concourse of the Dallas Cowboys stadium has been a hit with most fans, according to online reviews.

"That's really kind of a cool thing," said Tim O'Hara, a booster who has seen the plans. "If Mile High (Sports Authority Field in Denver) were built today, it would have similar things. I think they've taken a little bit from the baseball stadiums. People congregate there. I could see watching half of a quarter from there even if I had a seat, just for a different point of view."

The area opens toward the middle of the CSU campus, along Meridian Drive, a street that will eventually be closed to vehicles and become a pedestrian walkway and bicycle path, according to the university's master plan.

The drawings show three terraces, each with a rail in front to set drinks on and ornamental plants in back, rising up from the playing field behind the end zone. There's an aisle in the middle for access to the terraces. Covered bars with large television screens are on both sides of a giant "A" inscribed in the stone or concrete surface.

There's open space behind the terraces for fans to gather, and wide staircases on each side leading up to the main concourse.

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The party deck is in an opening between the two decks of bleachers that will make up the east and west grandstands and just inside an entryway planners say will be used by about 80 percent of fans attending games.

"I really love the way it opens up to the student center plaza," O'Hara said. "That, to me, is really a big reason why this on-campus stadium is such a cool thing. You'll be able to sit there for the whole game and be able to look out at that. The way that they've designed it, they've really taken into consideration what they want to accomplish. It's really about bringing people together."

The "North Plaza" drawings by Populous were part of a March 6 presentation to school officials. They include a spot in one corner for the ROTC cannon that has been fired at the start of games and whenever the Rams score since 1954.

"When I think of things CSU and Fort Collins have been known for, four of them that are at the top our the list are the great local beer, CSU's celebration canon, the Aggie 'A' and the outdoors," CSU booster Tyler Shannon said in an email after taking a look at a couple of the drawings for the first time. "All of which will welcome standing fans in the north end zone. I can't wait to see it."

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Athletic director Joe Parker was out of town on university business, and none of the other school officials who have been part of the regular stadium-design meetings were available for comment Friday, a school spokesman said.

Many of the design details for the new stadium are still being worked out as contractors put together final construction documents, said Tim Romani, chief executive officer of Icon Venue Group, the project manager. Site-clearing and utility work already is underway, with a formal groundbreaking ceremony planned for the weekend of Sept. 12-13, school officials said.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news