NC State Athletics announced to fans on Wednesday that two tailgating parking lots off Trinity Road near Carter-Finley Football Stadium are under contract for sale, and won’t be available to eventgoers during the 2018-2019 football season.
According to a statement from Fred Demarest, senior associate AD for Communications and Brand Management of NC State Athletics, the Trinity (TL) and TX lots are two of a number of privately-owned parking lots surrounding Carter-Finley Stadium used by NC State Athletics.
“NC State Athletics and the Wolfpack Club have historically secured a number of privately-owned parking lots surrounding Carter-Finley Stadium for our football ticket patrons to utilize as season parking options,” Demarest said in an email. “However, the privately-owned Trinity (TL) and TX lots are now under contract for sale and will not be available to us beginning this season.”
Michael Warren, a first-year studying fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, is worried about students who tailgate before football games having their space taken away as well.
“I just hope that if businesses do buy them, they won’t completely exclude students from tailgating there,” Warren said. “I think that if they really want to make money, they could, say, pay to enter and tailgate. I would definitely still do that — I would still pay to go there, just because tailgating is a big part of football games. But I just hope they don’t completely cut it off from students altogether.”
Although the TL and TX lots were reserved primarily for season-ticket holders during the football season, Katie Smith, a first-year studying animal science, is concerned about the potential of other tailgate spots being sold as well.
“I think it kind of sucks because people who aren’t a part of Greek life, it’s going to be harder for them to tailgate now, because that’s one of the only tailgate spots left,” Smith said. “Ideally, [NC State Athletics] would buy it back, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Maybe just like put out some regulations. … My concern is that people will go to the lots that have been sold and then will be judgmental of the tailgating that’s happening — the student tailgates, and try to like control the student tailgating.”
Joseph Mullen, a fourth-year studying political science, is more concerned about what the lots will be used for once they are sold.
“I’m slightly concerned that I’ve heard they’re putting apartments there and what that will do as far as increased police presence in the tailgate lots,” Mullen said. “But I don’t think they’ll ever sell the fairground side, so I’m not super concerned as far as tailgating implications.”
Mullen doesn’t think that the sale of the TL and TX lots will affect student tailgating, now or in the future. The sale of these lots may, however, affect the attendance of alumni who are attending as season-ticket holders.
“In the trinity lots, I think it will affect … visiting team and alumni the most … because those are paid lots and it’s, I believe, generally filled by alumni and people from out of town that are coming back from games,” Mullen said. “So it may diminish the populations of those groups at games but I don’t think it’ll affect student populations at tailgates or games.”
NC State Athletics is confident that they will still have enough parking available for the season ticket holders who used the TL and TX lots, and stated that they are also still actively looking for more game day parking options for the 2018 season.
“No season parking purchaser will be left without a space,” Demarest said. “We do understand the sentimental value these lots did have for many people and the Wolfpack Club and others are working to help groups impacted by this move together.”
