On August 23, 2025, the Kansas Jayhawks will kick off their football season against Fresno State at the newly transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium including a new north endzone-located Conference Center — marking the official debut of Phase I of the Gateway District. This season opener won’t just mark a return to the field — it marks the beginning of a completely transformed environment at the University of Kansas. Behind the crowd’s excitement lies a sophisticated progression of visioning, strategy, and collaboration which included support from Hunden Partners throughout the process.
Strategic Collaboration and Vision Realization
In October 2022, the University of Kansas (KU) announced a bold vision: to transform the north entrance to campus into a dynamic “gateway” that would bridge athletics, academics, and community. To turn this vision into actionable plans, KU partnered with Hunden Partners to lead its market and financial feasibility and development advisory efforts for the Gateway project.
Hunden brought decades of experience and a track record of over 1,000 successful projects to the table. Central to our work on the Gateway District was guiding KU through a robust developer and operator solicitation and selection process. However, Hunden’s engagement with the Gateway District project extended well beyond just this phase. From the outset, we led a comprehensive mixed-use and stadium feasibility study which led to a mixed-use development program that served as the framework for future solicitation processes. Following this, a detailed funding and financing analyses was completed to identify financing tools that could close project feasibility gaps. The third phase of work — the developer and operator RFQ/P process — served as the keystone of alignment. Our ongoing work continues to include Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond, Community Improvement District (CID), and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) incentive modeling and analytics.
Operator & Developer Solicitation and Selection Process
The operator and developer solicitation phase began in June 2023 with the release of the RFQ/P. Designed to ensure transparency and competition, this process sought operating and development partners who could bring creativity, experience, and financial acumen to a highly visible, mixed-use development. Hunden provided strategic counsel not only on program and infrastructure needs but also on how to bring KU’s vision to life through facilities and services that support students, faculty, fans, and the Lawrence community year-round.
Selection of Partners
In April 2024, a partnership with Oak View Group (OVG) began, with OVG now serving as the operator for the new Stadium and Conference Center and OVG Hospitality serving as the new food and beverage service provider for Kansas Athletics venues. By December 2024 negotiations began with development partners Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate and Sunflower Development Group. Edgemoor, which previously led KU’s Central District Development completed in 2018, brought strong regional knowledge and expertise in infrastructure, real estate development, and P3 delivery. Sunflower, with deep roots in tax credit financing and consulting, was poised to aid in the execution of Phase II elements, including the remaining Stadium redevelopment, and an adjacent mixed-use district which includes a hotel, retail, restaurant, and office space, student housing, and an outdoor plaza. Together, their capabilities positioned them to execute on both the immediate goals for the Stadium and the longer-term district plans.
A critical milestone came in May 2025, when the Lawrence City Commission approved the Gateway District’s boundaries, paving the way for potential tax incentives and formalizing support for Phase II. This approval signaled a broader community alignment around the project’s promise to enhance Lawrence’s livability and economy.
Ongoing Advisory and Future Phases
Today, Hunden continues to update financial models aiding to solidify public financing tools that capture incremental sales, hotel, and property taxes, and implementing a new campus-wide district tax.
Conclusion
From the start, our role has been to help KU navigate complex decisions with confidence and clarity. The operator and developer solicitation and selection process may happen behind the scenes, but it’s essential to the delivery of world-class places. Most fans will never know what went into making the future of the Gateway District possible — the years of evaluation, strategy, and refinement that happened behind the scenes — but they will feel it, from the moment they arrive. At Hunden Partners, we’ve been proud to guide KU through critical steps in the project implementation process — so when the Stadium lights go on and the crowds return, the story includes more than just football. It reflects strategy, partnership, and vision brought to life.
