Fresh renderings: Charlotte 49ers football prepares for $70M stadium expansion

Catch up quick: Expansion has always been in the cards for Charlotte's 15,314-seat Jerry Richardson Stadium, where they played their first game in August 2013. The plan is to increase stadium capacity in phases.

• It's also part of Charlotte's EverGreen Athletics Facilities Master Vision, a multi-million dollar plan to level up athletic facilities across campus.

By the numbers: The $70 million first phase is fully funded, Hill says. Construction will cost $60 million and the additional $10 million is for dining equipment which will be funded by the school's dining auxiliary reserves.

What to expect: Phase one will be built on the western side of the stadium over the existing press box. The state-of-the-art tower will include:

• Seven luxury suites, plus the university's chancellor's box.
• Club seats.
• Loge boxes.
• Ledge seats.
• More general seating.
• And a club with a patio, bar and concessions. It will also serve as the dedicated team dining area and a conference space that can be used year-round.

Zoom in: Premium seating is expected to generate $1.75 million to $2 million annually. The school's total athletics budget is over $39 million, Hill says.

• They also plan to add a sales center near their Uptown campus early next year to connect the project to Charlotte's corporate hub. Fans will be able to see the stadium's new seating options there.

Between the lines: Charlotte won't relocate home games during construction, but will play around it, Hill says. The stadium will remain at full capacity, but entry and exit points will impact football and lacrosse fans.

What's next: Expanding the stadium to 30,000 isn't on the immediate horizon, Hill says. They're reviewing a second phase that would bring the stadium to 21,000, which would add more general seats. Continued expansion is contingent on funding.

What they're saying: "We don't want to overbuild for where we are," Hill says. But selling out three of their first four home games this season indicates a need for more seats. They drew a season-high crowd of 17,102 against East Carolina last month.

• They've seen a 35% increase over the last five years in attendance, per Hill.

• Charlotte is ninth in the country for increased attendance out of more than 100 Football Bowl Subdivision schools, Hill says. Keep in mind that some FBS stadiums hold over 100,000 people.

Yes, but: Charlotte has had one winning season and one bowl game appearance. They're currently 3-6 and just over a decade into making their mark on college football.

• "At a certain point, you have to stop saying 'we're a young program,'" Hill says, but he'd like to see how their competitors, some of whom are a century old, compared in their 12th season.
• "We all recognize we need to win more in football," Hill says.

The big picture: Stadium expansion also means possibly hosting another bowl game and concerts. There isn't a timeline for the former, but the latter could be before 2027, Hill says.

• They've been in conversation with Bob Durkin, co-founder of Southern Entertainment, which produced Lovin' Life Music Festival in Uptown this past spring.
• "Nothing is imminent," Hill says, but they have discussed holding something at the stadium.

The bottom line: UNC Charlotte has gone from a commuter school to a bustling campus with among the highest enrollment in the UNC system. It has a direct connection to Uptown with the LYNX Blue Line.

• "We have venues that are ideal for specific types of special events, concerts, musical festivals and the like," Hill says.