The future of Hughes Stadium has been up in the air since the on-campus stadium was announced. While plans for Hughes have not been decided yet, several options are in discussion, including affordable housing.

“I’d characterize these as efforts as trying to better understand the impact of the (Northern Colorado) housing market on CSU students and employees – everyone from students living off-campus within the community, to our lowest income employees, to entry level faculty members,” CSU President Tony Frank wrote in an e-mail to the Collegian.

University officials emphasized that discussions were just beginning and there are no concrete plans for the land.

CSU plans to work along the City of Fort Collins and an outside firm to lead the public process and explore possibilities over the next several months.

Over the next year, the University will gather comments from the city, county and community, to make a decision, CSU System Executive Vice Chancellor Amy Parsons wrote in an e-mail to the Collegian. The University will also gather information from site surveys, titles and assessments of the property, Parsons wrote.

A rough schedule for the process will be published in the fall.

“What are our biggest needs and what are the best options for addressing them?” Frank wrote, addressing the use of Hughes stadium.

According to the Coloradoan, Hughes Stadium is estimated by Frank at about $10 million after demolition costs, while local realtors placed the stadium between $4.8 to $6.4 million. Realtors said that as many as 350 single family homes could be built on the property.

“It’s a process that will take some time, will be very open, and in which we expect to hear a lot of creative ideas from the various stakeholders,” Parsons wrote.

Housing has not been finalized as the option for Hughes Stadium, but is a popular option. Frank writes that this option has gained interest for the CSU community because of how it can benefit the employees and students.

Other options will be explored starting in the fall as the CSU Board of Governors works with the City of Fort Collins to discuss other options available. 

Collegian Reporter Tony Villalobos May can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter at @TonytheGnarly.