Nashville is required to provide a first-class stadium for the Tennessee Titans. It’s a part of the current contract between the city and the team. But what that means is open to interpretation, and without a clear answer, the Metro Council is no closer to deciding whether it would be better to renovate Nissan Stadium or build a new arena on the East Bank.
The city hired Brentwood consultant Venue Solutions Group to study what it would take to renovate Nissan Stadium based a conceptual plan done by Gensler Sports.
Councilmembers and the city’s legal department haven’t seen this private renovation report. But they are raising questions based on some intentions. Those include “creating a competitive facility for major events [and] becoming the go-to spot for overlooking downtown,” as Councilmember Sean Parker describes it. Although he thinks it sounds cool, he says it goes well above what’s required.
The consultant says it isn’t legally able to define what “first-class” means or looks like, so it compared Nissan Stadium to 17 similar facilities, like the 35-year-old Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Right now, Nissan Stadium needs structural improvements such as a new piping system, replaced electrical systems and updated light fixtures.
“It would be hard for me to envision in my professional opinion how you could comply in a rational and reasonable way by renovating the stadium,” Venue Solutions Group co-founder Russ Simons says.
But the line between requirements and bells and whistles is hard to pin down. The group’s report also lists cosmetic improvements like new locker rooms and club facilities, and councilmembers have been expecting to learn what work absolutely must be done to meet the current lease agreement.
Councilmember and East Bank committee member Courtney Johnston explained Monday night what she had in mind. “These are the bullet points that are required in the lease,” Johnston said. “These are things extra but when you pull out the extra, what is the cost of what we are actually contractually obligated to based off the lease?”
“This does not provide me with the information that I need to make a sound decision on something that’s gone have a huge fiscal impact on our city for generations,” Councilmember Delishia Porterfield agreed in frustration.
Metro councilmembers will meet again on Wednesday at 5:30 in the evening to review the new stadium design and surrounding infrastructure.
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