Plans Progressing For Tennessee Titans To Build $2.2 Billion Domed Stadium

When weighing the price tag of renovations to the 1999-opened Nissan Stadium and constructing a new domed stadium nearby, the Tennessee Titans have landed on the $2.2 billion decision to build new. And the City of Nashville agrees.

The Titans announced plans to construct a domed 60,000-seat stadium in lieu of Nissan Stadium renovations to better attract major events, such as the Super Bowl and college athletics’ largest events, whether football championships or the Final Four.

In the current contractual makeup, signed in 1996 before the Titans first played a game in the venue in 1999, the city of Nashville is legally required to provide a first-class stadium until 2039. The independent Venue Solutions Group says needed renovations to Nissan Stadium could run from $1.75 billion to $1.95 billion over the next 17 years of the current stadium lease. Under the new agreement announced by John Cooper, Nashville and Davidson County mayor, and the Titans, the existing lease agreement will become void and a new agreement leaves the city largely outside of the cost structure, saving them the maintenance and renovation costs on Nissan Stadium.

The Titans say the more than $2 billion needed to create the proposed new venue will get paid via $840 million from the team, $500 million from the state of Tennessee, $760 million from revenue bonds issued by the Metro Sports Authority to be repaid via personal-seat license sales and taxes collected at the stadium and additional money from a new 1% hotel/motel tax. The team has agreed to pay the remaining $30 million in bonds owned on Nissan Stadium and waive $32 million in outstanding bills owed by the city for Nissan Stadium maintenance performed over the past four years.

“We are excited because this has been a long time coming,” says Burke Nihill, Titans president and CEO. “We have for a very long time been trying to find a responsible and sustainable solution to get to a next generation of a stadium for Nashville while doing so in a way that shifts the ultimate burden from the taxpayers to the team.”

The 1.7 million square feet building with seating for 60,000 would get built on the East Bank of the Cumberland River on the Nissan Stadium campus, tucked between the current stadium and the interstate. “We want it to be a modern experience,” Nihill says. “The best stadiums allow fans the choice about how they want to attend the game and interact with the stadium. So, that may be a great seat that has a good view of the game and they’re parked there the entire time. And that may be a social experience. There are families who want the ability to roam around a little bit with their little ones. We have millennials who would like to have something of a game-long tailgate. So, we are trying to build a building and design a building that accommodates a wide range of experiences.”

The legislative process will continue before a new stadium plan becomes concrete, although a design process has already started, both to determine siting requirements and cost estimates. The soonest construction could start would be fall of 2023, but that is if the legislative process goes smooth. Nihill says a phrase the team has focused on during design is “win on character,” meaning they want a stadium with modern comforts and experiences, but also the team wants to embrace the character of the city and the fans. “We want this building to ultimately reflect the character, the rich fabric of this community, and we feel we’ve landed on something that’s done just that,” he says.

Nihill says to expect an interior experience like Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with a planned translucent roof and glass on the sides of the building. The seating mix will also be akin to Allegiant Stadium, although he says the building—including the exterior architecture—will be “uniquely Nashville.”

The Titans’ goal is to have a building ready by 2026, but that isn’t set. “We are aiming for 2026, but it may be 2027,” Nihill says. “We’ll just have to let the next few months play out and determine what the schedule is.”

Once a new stadium opens, plans call for the demolition of Nissan Stadium. The 66 acres operated by Metro Council would transform to include a park, affordable housing, a boulevard and revenue-generating development.