Gonzaga University has approached the city with conceptual plans for a $14 million project tentatively called the Center for Athletic Achievement. The facility would expand the sports complex that includes the McCarthey Athletic Center and the Martin Centre, on the Gonzaga campus east of downtown.

The Center for Athletic Achievement would be a three-level, 41,000-square-foot addition on the south side of the Martin Centre, which is west of the McCarthey Athletic Center, a predevelopment application on file with the city shows.

Gonzaga spokeswoman Mary Joan Hahn says it’s too early to comment on details or a timeline for the project.

“It’s still in the planning stage,” she says. “It doesn’t have formal approval from the university’s board of trustees.”

She adds, however, Gonzaga is raising funds for the project.

While the predevelopment application submitted to the city lists the project cost at $14 million, the university’s fundraising materials list potential naming rights for three parts of the project totaling $20 million.

Fundraising information says the Center for Athletic Achievement would include a Gonzaga Athletics Hall of Fame, a student-athlete academic support center that would include space for individual and group study, and a 5,000-square-foot multipurpose event center.

“The new academic center is a critical component of our support system and will better enable the student-athletes to take on both the athletic and academic rigors at Gonzaga University,” fundraising materials say.

As envisioned, the event space would connect to the west concourse of the McCarthey Athletic Center and would provide room for banquets, special events, and game-day gatherings.

The hall of fame is planned on the main floor of the facility and would be intended to pay tribute to elite athletes and honor the university’s athletic history, which spans more than a century.

The proposed facility is described in fundraising campaign materials as the focal point for student athletes and “not only a celebration of the past, but an important foundation for our future.”

Gonzaga boasts a 96 percent graduation rate for its student athletes, and claims the academic success of its athletes is one of the athletic department’s highest priorities.

The university, which has a total enrollment of 7,400 students, has more than 300 student athletes who compete at the NCAA Division 1 level.

The university asserts the Center for Athletic Achievement would enhance Gonzaga’s “traditions of academic and athletic excellence for generations to come.”

Fundraising materials show donor opportunities include exclusive naming rights, listed at $10 million for the Center for Athletic Achievement, $5 million for the second-floor events space, and $5 million for the academic support center.

The predevelopment application says the new center might include a basketball practice facility, and the project also might include creating office space within Martin Centre.

The application begins the planning process with the city, enabling planners and developers to discuss the project before the developer applies for building permits.

As of earlier this week, the application had been reviewed by the city’s engineering, fire, water, and solid waste departments, and by planning and building representatives, the city’s status record for the project shows.

ALSC Architects PS, of Spokane, filed the predevelopment application on behalf of Gonzaga.

ALSC also designed the multipurpose McCarthey Athletic Center, which opened in 2004, replacing the Martin Centre as the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ home basketball venue. 

Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, was the contractor on that project, which had a total construction cost of $25 million. The 148,000-square-foot McCarthey Athletic Center has a seating capacity of 6,000 for basketball games.

The 83,000-square-foot Martin Centre, which was built in 1964 and expanded in 1987, still has a seating capacity of 2,000 for volleyball games.

Gonzaga has continued to develop its campus in recent years, including opening the $60 million John J. Hemmingson Center earlier this year. The 168,000-square-foot, four-level structure on the east side of the campus has replaced the former 35,000-square-foot student union building known as the COG. The Hemmingson Center accommodates student dining, study activities, ballroom events, the Jesuit university’s ministry, and other services.

Other recent capital projects include the $15 million Boone Avenue Retail Center, the $7 million Stevens Center tennis and golf facility, and the $1.2 million Tilford Human Physiology Lab, all of which opened in 2014.

In October, the university announced its Gonzaga Will campaign to raise $250 million for scholarships, educational programs, and other campus needs including “creative spaces so scientists, student athletes and artists can develop their abilities to the fullest.” Gonzaga said $183 million had already been raised, including a $55 million gift from the late Spokane philanthropist Myrtle Woldson.

While the Gonzaga Will announcement didn’t identify the Center for Athletic Achievement among capital projects that would benefit from the campaign, the announcement did make mention of “an anonymous family’s gift in support of student athletes and training.”

The Center for Athletic Achievement has been in the conceptual stage for a number of years. The university’s 2011-2012 annual athletics department report listed it as a capital priority.