There are three noteworthy updates on Nashville's effort to build a soccer stadium to house Nashville SC, which begins competing in the second-division United Soccer League in the spring of 2018. The short version is that the city wants to put more cash on the table but is still determining the best place to build the stadium on the Nashville Fairgrounds, and this indecision has contributed to a delay in the unveiling of an official financing proposal.
1. Olé, olé, delay
Mayor Megan Barry's office is now targeting Fall 2016 for a stadium financing proposal, according to a report by Joey Garrison of The Tennessean. June was the previous target date, but June is the month that is now, and no proposal is in evidence.2. Metro ups the ante
In Barry's FY 2017-18 Capital Improvements Budget, she's asking for $150 million to be earmarked toward the construction of a municipal soccer facility. That's $100 million more than what Barry had previously asked for and $50 million shy of the estimated cost of the 18,500-seat soccer stadium currently being built, via private financing, for 2017 MLS expansion franchise Minnesota United FC.In previous comments, Barry has stressed that the public-private partnership between Metro and Nashville SC would have an emphasis on the private part of the equation. According to The Tennesseean, this "doesn't represent a formal funding proposal, but serves as a placeholder for possible consideration next year for a soccer stadium paid for with city assistance."
3. Where to build?
The mayor's office is now trying to decide between two build sites on the Fairgrounds Nashville, a 117-acre city-owned property south of downtown already being targeted for millions in infrastructure spending.[Metro Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling] said one spot under consideration is the vacant parking lot area north of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway near Walsh Road and Nolensville Pike. This is the area that was most widely discussed when Barry announced in January that she hopes to bring MLS to Nashville and make the fairgrounds the home of an MLS stadium.
Riebeling said the city is also looking at the elevated portion of the fairgrounds to the west of the speedway, closer to Bransford Avenue, where existing halls and fairgrounds building are located. He said constructing the stadium there would probably require the demolition and reconstruction of some fairgrounds buildings, but wasn't able to say which.
"Where exactly the stadium could be located on there is still a work in progress," he said. "It's one of those two locations. There's pros and cons to both, costs associated with both, and that's what has to be determined."
For comparison, Minnesota United FC identified its build site in Oct. 2015 and broke ground in Dec. 2016, delayed from June. According to latest estimates, construction is expected to be completed by the start of the 2019 MLS season. In the meantime, MUFC has an agreement in place with the University of Minnesota to continue playing at TCF Bank Stadium through the 2018 season, if necessary.
Nashville SC reached an agreement with Vanderbilt Universit to split home games for its U23 PDL side between the Commodores' football stadium and VU's soccer/lacrosse complex during the 2017 season. Of note: the USL has implemented a minimum stadium capacity of 2,500, which is 100 than the listed capacity of the Vandy soccer stadium.
Nashville SC reached an agreement with Vanderbilt Universit to split home games for its U23 PDL side between the Commodores' football stadium and VU's soccer/lacrosse complex during the 2017 season. Of note: the USL has implemented a minimum stadium capacity of 2,500, which is 100 than the listed capacity of the Vandy soccer stadium.
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