Opponents of a plan to add luxury boxes to Michigan Stadium suffered a major setback Friday.

At its monthly meeting, the University Board of Regents approved schematic designs for a plan that would add 83 luxury suites and 3,200 club seats to the Big House.

That was expected. The final tally wasn't.
The designs passed 6-2, boosted by a vote from Regent Rebecca McGowan.

McGowan, who previously opposed the plan, switched sides and voted for it. She said Athletic Director Bill Martin and University President Mary Sue Coleman had convinced her to do so.

With only one vote remaining before construction begins and opposition within the board weakened, opponents of the plan have begun to lose hope.

Until McGowan's announcement, there was a chance that the renovations still might not pass.

On Jan. 1, regent-elect Julia Darlow will replace lame-duck Regent David Brandon (R-Ann Arbor), one of the plan's biggest supporters.

If Darlow opposed the plan - she has not yet said how she will vote - her vote would have deadlocked the board 4-4.

Unless another regent changes his or her mind, McGowan's reversal renders how Darlow will vote irrelevant.

But Regents Larry Deitch (D-Bingham Farms) and Kathy White (D-Ann Arbor), who have opposed the plan since it was first introduced in May, refused to give up, urging their colleagues to reconsider their stances on the renovation.

White voiced concerns that the Athletic Department's plan would not meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. She said the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America had approached her to point out that the Athletic Department's plan would provide handicapped-accessible seating in only one area of the seating bowl.

The ADA mandates that handicapped individuals be given multiple seating options with different prices and views, like all other fans.

White motioned to postpone the proposal until the University's lawyers could evaluate the claim, but the motion failed 6 to 2, with only White and Deitch voting for it.

Then Deitch gave a lengthy speech criticizing the aesthetics of the structures that would house the skyboxes, calling the design an unattractive mix of "neo-Roman coliseum" and "suburban office building."

"The proposed massive additions are simply out of scale with the simple stadium design," Deitch said. "They overwhelm it and by doing so, in my opinion, will ruin the joy that so many people feel in Michigan Stadium."

Deitch said he doesn't oppose renovations but thinks there is a more attractive plan than the one the Athletic Department has proposed.

"I acknowledge that change is inevitable, but I believe that we have a stewardship responsibility to the public to ensure that additions to great buildings be made in a way that is harmonious with the look and feel of the original structure," Deitch said. "For me, this addition fails that test."

After Deitch finished his speech, the proposal came to a vote. Deitch and White cast the only votes against the Athletic Department's plans.

Regents Brandon, Martin Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe Farms), Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich), Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor), Andrew Richner (R-Grosse Pointe Park) and McGowan voted in favor of the plans.

With a strong majority of the regents in favor of the renovations, the construction of luxury boxes in Michigan Stadium seems inevitable.

But before Friday, the future of the renovation plan wasn't so clear.

"I said last spring that my concern centered on too much money being spent on too few people, a value that I do not share," McGowan said. "Over the past several months, President Coleman and Bill Martin have expanded their conversation to include how a financially sound athletic department, buoyed by strong performances by Michigan's athletes, enthusiasm of their fans and effective management, can return to the University substantial financial resources to further strengthen our core mission - our academics."

McGowan said she has paid attention to criticism from students, faculty, alumni and fans, but believes the renovation plan is the best option for the University.

"I have read every e-mail that you have sent," McGowan said. "I have considered every opinion that has been offered as I move around Ann Arbor and the area. I respect how strongly you feel. In the end, though, I have always reminded all of my Michigan constituents that my job is to do what I believe is best for the University."

Her speech elicited gasps and chatter from some of those in attendance.