Council members question Nissan Stadium renovation estimate: What's a need vs a want?
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- The $315,000 report focuses on Nissan Stadium renovation designs created by a consultant hired by the Tennessee Titans.
- Council members said those renovation designs may include features Metro wouldn't be responsible for under the city's current lease with the team.
- Council members said the report therefore doesn't estimate Nashville's current financial obligations for Nissan Stadium's upkeep.
Nashville council members said Monday a $315,000 report on the potential cost to complete Nissan Stadium renovations does not provide them with the information they requested to make a decision about the stadium's future in the city.
The report is largely based on a renovation design plan created by an architecture firm hired by the Tennessee Titans. The independent review found that design would cost about $1.88 billion to execute. But Metro council members said the design — which has yet to be reviewed by Metro officials but was given by the team to Metro's consultant for the study — seems to include features that Metro may not be obligated to pay for.
"My concern, and I think a lot of my colleagues' concern is the fact that we have a cost of a renovation … and we have no idea within the cost what's a need and what's a want, what we're obligated to, and what we want to be nice and shiny and cool," Council member Courtney Johnston said during a presentation of the report at a Monday East Bank Stadium Committee meeting.
The council set aside funding in Nashville's budget this summer for a report on Nashville's current financial obligations for stadium upkeep under a 1996 lease signed with the Tennessee Titans, which requires Metro to provide a "first-class" stadium and cover maintenance costs.
Mayor John Cooper's administration and the team are pushing to tear down Nissan Stadium and replace it with a new, $2.1 billion enclosed stadium using roughly $1.2 billion in state contributions, local revenue bonds and sales tax diversion and $840 million in private money. But questions on the total cost to build and maintain a new stadium linger, and any such deal requires council approval.
The full report, produced by consultant Venue Solutions Group and released last week, includes:
- independent pricing for a renovation design plan produced by architectural firm Gensler/Hastings for the Titans, estimated at $1.88 billion
- a comparison to renovations done in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, estimated at $1.3 billion in 2023 dollars
- an overview of Nissan Stadium's condition with an estimate of up to $37 million in maintenance costs to keep Nissan Stadium in operable condition and compliant with NFL standards through 2026
At-large Council member Burkley Allen said she wants to know what it would cost to do the bare minimum versus the "gold standard" through the remainder of Metro's lease with the team, which could stretch through 2039 if the team exercises their right to extend the agreement.
Council member Sean Parker pointed to the report's mention of a new outdoor events pavilion as an example of a feature of the Gensler/Hastings design that the city would not be "on the hook for" under Nashville's current agreement with the Titans.
Comparisons to Miami
Venue Solutions Group Managing Partner Russ Simons said the scope of the report included a review of the cost of the Gensler/Hastings plan and a broad comparison to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium — identified by the original lease as a comparable facility — to test whether the Gensler/Hastings design was reasonable within industry standards. The group found the design to be "consistent with the work that's being done in other NFL facilities," Simons said.
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The consultant began the comparison process by reviewing 17 competitive facilities throughout the country but ultimately focused on Hard Rock Stadium, a venue of similar age that underwent a series of major renovations in the last two decades.
"It was determined that in order for us to actually be able to give you comparable numbers that would be meaningful, that we would focus on the renovation that lined up most favorably with the proposed master plan designed by the Titans," Simons said.
At-large Council member Bob Mendes, chair of the East Bank Stadium Committee, questioned how a comparison to renovations in a singular facility could indicate what would be a reasonable industry standard overall.
Council member Delishia Porterfield echoed Mendes' concerns.
"This does not provide me with the information that I need to make a sound decision on something that's going to have a huge fiscal impact on our city for generations," Porterfield said.
Johnston questioned why Metro Council members or other officials were not given the opportunity to review the Gensler/Hastings design at the heart of VSG's report. She said the council would have never approved spending so much for a cost estimate of an unseen design, and this speaks to the overall lack of transparency surrounding the proposed new stadium deal.
James Weaver, a representative for the Titans, said the team is "happy to share" the Gensler/Hastings design with council members. Weaver stopped short of answering whether Metro officials had asked for a copy of the design previously.
Council member Robert Nash said the specifics of what should or shouldn't be included in a renovation plan would in some ways always be subjective.
"I'm a little concerned in hearing this discussion we're looking for a magic number that may not be able to be provided or calculated," Nash said, suggesting a simpler path may be to consider whether or not the proposed deal for a new stadium is strong.
Mendes countered that understanding the city's current financial obligation for stadium renovation and upkeep is key to that conversation.
"The fact remains Metro has a lease from 1996 with an unfunded liability and no way to pay for it," TJ Ducklo, spokesperson for Cooper's administration, said in statement Monday. "A debate about whether that liability is enormous or just gigantic misses the point."
Cassandra Stephenson covers Metro government for The Tennessean. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow Cassandra on Twitter at @CStephenson731.