Daily Digs: Richmond, Va., Breaks Ground on Diamond District, George Mason Rec Facility, and more!

On July 25, the city announced it had sold nearly $130 million dollars worth of bonds to fund the new stadium, as well as the “Diamond District” redevelopment of the surrounding area. Officials said the construction of the stadium is set to start in the fall and, if all goes to plan, it would be complete by the beginning of the 2026 baseball season.

Richmond has to have a new stadium ready by then, otherwise Minor League Baseball could take the Flying Squirrels team away from the city for not fulfilling facility upgrade requirements. Addison said he’s optimistic they’ll meet that timeline.

“I just want to make sure we get our shovels in the ground as soon as possible on constructing the stadium,” Andreas Addison, a Richmond city council member, said. “Not only just to keep the Flying Squirrels here, but more importantly, to have that opening day — that opening game — and really bringing the community together in this new amazing space.” [ABC 8 News]

New York City FC unveiled Tuesday the first premium seating renderings for its new stadium, which will break ground this coming fall and is scheduled to open in 2027. The newly rendered premium spaces go on sale in September, though the club declined to share any pricing info. Legends is selling the new stadium’s premium seating for NYCFC, which currently plays at either Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. 

The full scope of premium at the new $780M, all-electric stadium, designed by HOK, hasn’t been unveiled, but this first batch of renderings gives the first views of the 12-seat City Suites and the eight Pitchside Lounges (containing eight seats), both of which are accessible by the West Side Entrance (whose naming rights the club intends to sell). Both offerings will be sold on a full-season, multi-year basis. Additional premium will be made available in 2025, with reserved general seating following in 2026. 

HOK turned to Dina Lamanna, Principal, Director of Hospitality Interior Design, to steer the new stadium’s premium look and feel. The stadium is Lamanna’s first; she’s spent nearly two decades focused on hotel, multi-use family, and food and beverage space interiors. In terms of NYCFC’s new stadium interiors, “pretty much anything that’s not a custodian closet falls under my jurisdiction,” Lamanna said. [Sports Business Journal]

A new recreation facility is coming to George Mason University. The university and Hoar Construction broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot Activities Community Wellness Building at the university’s Fairfax campus.  

This new facility will be the home base for The Green Machine pep band and provide space for student programming. This $11 million project is expected to be complete by spring 2025.  

“If anything personifies our students, our diversity, our rich heritage, our innovation, our spirit, it actually is the Green Machine,” University President Gregory Washington said. “So having that entity have a focal point, a centerpiece, a gathering point, a rallying point, is probably one of the most important things we can do.” 

The Activities Community Wellness Center will have a full-sized basketball court for intramural basketball games. It will also have additional athletic courts, yoga and exercise classrooms, storage, conference rooms, and office space.  [Northern Virginia Mag]

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