Coralville’s newest addition to the Iowa River Landing District is taking the next step towards reality, as the Iowa Arena Project was officially named.
The city of Coralville announced that they reached a ten year agreement to name the new arena Xtream Arena powered by Mediacom.
“Today is another milestone we all get to celebrate,” Brian Hixenbaugh, the general manager for the Iowa Arena and Field House said. “It keeps that momentum going, going forward and it will give us another legitimate partner to say this project is amazing. It makes our sell a little bit easier.”
So far the sell has already been easy for Hixenbaugh and his company Spectra. The city of Coralville unanimously approved the project in 2018 taking the over $70 million costs head on. 180 acres right in the heart of the Iowa River Landing will complete the areas transformation, as the arena will also include an attached hotel several retail spaces and other amenities. The city did receive state funding for the project and also gained support from private investors. The naming rights will provide another boost in completing the project on time.
“This isn’t just about the arena it’s about the elements that are unique to Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and the Corridor as a whole,” Hixenbaugh said. “Here is special, it’s a unique space. We’ve got the university and we are going to play that up as much as we can. The infrastructure is already here, we are just adding to it.”
The University of Iowa volleyball team will play its season here once the arena is finished in 2020. They also hope to attract a semi-pro or pro hockey team to the area with several USHL teams already in the Corridor. For Hixenbaugh however it’s not just about the events and tournaments the project will attract. He hopes it will become a central part for corridor communities all across the area.
“We want this to be a true asset for the community as a whole,” Hixenbaugh said. “We are looking at some community based programming opportunities that maybe at our doorstep whether it’s working with parks and rec on expanding or adding to their programming schedule and including what we are doing, whether it’s community wide events like a meal or a festival we are really trying to catch everybody.”
