Gas South Arena begins $175M renovation, but don’t expect it to shut down
It’s a tall task to gut a home and renovate everything inside.
But imagine doing that with something the size of an arena while also accommodating thousands of concertgoers and sports fans.
That’s exactly the undertaking Gas South Arena leaders kicked off Thursday morning, celebrating the start of $175 million in renovations that will transform the venue over the next two years. And aside from a few weeks next summer, the Duluth arena will not shut down or stop hosting large events.
“We had to come up with a plan to continue doing business as usual in the arena while it’s in the midst of a fairly significant construction project,” Stan Hall, president and CEO of the Gas South District, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The sweeping overhaul was announced last summer and includes redesigning the entrance, adding a new parking deck and upgrading seating, security, suites and concessions throughout Gwinnett County’s largest event venue. It’s an effort aimed to modernize the 23-year-old, 13,000-seat arena to keep up with the competition and the increased expectations of attendees.
“We’ve been very successful in staying ahead in that competition,” Hall said. “Our intention is to not let that slip at all.”
It also follows other changes and additions to the 118-acre campus surrounding the arena, which is overseen by Hall’s organization in partnership with the county. Those changes include more than doubling the size of Gas South Convention Center, opening the Westin Atlanta Gwinnett hotel in 2024 and renovating the on-campus theater.
The arena, formerly known as Infinite Energy Center, is a perennial concert venue. It also acts as the home base for the Atlanta Gladiators minor league hockey team, the Georgia Swarm professional lacrosse team and the Atlanta Vibe professional women’s indoor volleyball team.
In addition to State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, plans for other suburban arenas at North Point Mall and Forsyth County — both vying for an NHL expansion franchise — are poised to add more competition for large events.
But with 13,000 seats, Gas South Arena fits into a category of midsize arenas that appeals to a variety of events too small for professional sport venues, which tend to approach 20,000 seats, according to Bob Boland, a sports law professor at Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey.
“Do you have the number of ancillary events? For that 10,000-seat venue, it’s almost limitless,” he said. “For that 19,000-seat one, it’s much less limitless.”
The renovation effort is financed through $140 million in revenue bonds that were issued in June, which do not place taxpayers on the hook for repayment. The remainder will come from the district’s internal cash reserves.
Hall said the project cost is also insulated from inflation and trade disputes because it already has signed agreements with its general contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie.
Renovations will take place in phases to keep the arena open as many days as possible, Hall said. The only time the arena will close is a 10-week period next summer when all the seats will be replaced, including the addition of low-level floor seating options.
“Without seats, you can’t operate unless we have people bring a folding chair with them,” Hall said. “But that’s the only time we’re going dark, including the installation of a new roof.”