Nashville Major League Soccer group unveils first look at stadium proposed for fairgrounds

The Nashville investor group bidding for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Music City unveiled preliminary designs Monday for a 30,000-seat stadium that would transform the aging Metro-owned Fairgrounds Nashville.

Though the project still lacks a cost figure and financing plan, the new conceptual renderings offer the first glimpse of the vision for professional soccer at the 117-acre fairgrounds in the budding Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood south of downtown.

The proposal places the stadium on the elevated west side of the fairgrounds property, south of Wedgewood Avenue and between the Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway and Bransford Avenue. Its construction would mean the removal of some existing expo buildings from the site.

John Ingram, chairman of Nashville Soccer Club Holdings, who is leading Nashville's MLS bid, presented the conceptual plans with other project leaders at a special Metro Council committee meeting on Monday night.

"Having a stadium that is approved by MLS is an absolutely essential part of ultimately being successful," he said. "We've tried to put together something that we believe represents a great partnership between our MLS-in-Nashville group and the city."

Mayor's office seeks quick timeline for approval

Nashville is one of 12 cities vying for four expansion spots that MLS hopes to fill.

Ingram was joined by Mayor Megan Barry's Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling, who told council members the mayor's office hopes to finalize stadium financing negotiations with Ingram in 45 to 60 days and file legislation for a stadium deal by October. It's a quick timeline that is needed to get Nashville considered for one of two initial cities that the league plans to award in December.

"We think that an opportunity to bring an MLS team to Nashville is very important to our community," Riebeling said, adding that a final proposal "has got to minimize the impact to the taxpayers.

"We know that going into this, and that's one of the parameters that we've been using in our discussions."

Stadium will reflect 'true spirit of Nashville,' Ingram says

The proposal, designed by the architectural firm HOK, calls new ancillary buildings around the 500,000 square-foot stadium to replace the demolished structures and be used for fairgrounds uses. There would also be a main plaza stadium entrance for fans, a new transit hub, ride sharing drop-off points on opposite ends of the site, team drop-off locations and a lane for supporters of the soccer club to enter.

The stadium is envisioned as a "dual-purpose" facility in case Vanderbilt University wants to move forward with a proposal to share the stadium with MLS and make it the new home of their football team. Riebeling said the mayor's office is also planning renovations to other parts of the fairgrounds, but did not go into specifics.

At a capacity of 30,000, the stadium would be among the larger of the new soccer-specific MLS stadiums built in recent years. The ownership group plans to take the plan to the surrounding neighborhood for feedback.

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Ingram, the billionaire CEO of Nashville-based Ingram Industries Inc., said the stadium design has been developed to "bring people and communities together for an extraordinary MLS soccer experience" and create an important to amenity for Nashville.

"It has many features that will make it one of the best in the league while reflecting the true spirit of Nashville," he said. "It will be customized for the rich history of the surrounding area and highlight the unique architecture and design found across this city.”

Council members say they plan to fully vet proposal

Monday's presentation, which included an overview of Nashville's MLS expansion efforts, marked the first discussion on the topic at the council — the legislative body that would need to sign off on any stadium funding and lease proposal.

The Metro Nashville Sports Authority and Metro Board of Fair Commissioners would also need to approve any financing plan, which would likely involve issuing revenue bonds.

After starting as an afterthought in the pursuit for an MLS team, Ingram and his group have won strong praise from MLS Commissioner Don Garber and demonstrated momentum. Garber has made clear that finalizing stadium plans is a prerequisite to get selected.

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Council members, getting their first crack at the looming soccer stadium debate Monday, said they plan to fully vet the project. Three council members raised a recent story from the online sports publication Deadspin that, citing work of an MLS critic, questions the business model and rapid expansion of MLS.

Councilman Jeremy Elrod, noting that two billionaire families are on Nashville's ownership team, said it will be difficult for him to support a project that relies too heavily on tax dollars.

"The Metro investment will need to be closely examined," he said.

Councilwoman Karen Johnson raised concerns about the lack of adequate infrastructure around the site. Councilman Brett Withers pointed to the piling up of major city projects, including a referendum on dedicated funding for transit the mayor is pushing for next year.

"We've got a lot of things going on simultaneously," Withers said. "At this point in time, the timeline in looking at council action seems a little bit aggressive."

Auto-racing, other existing fairgrounds functions to remain

Barry in January identified the fairgrounds as her preferred location for a soccer stadium.

The fairgrounds, which hosts flea markets, various expo center events, auto racing and the annual Tennessee State Fair, is set to receive a $6 million upgrade that will turn 46 acres on the fairgrounds' south end to park space and recreational soccer fields. Another $12 million has been set aside for building demolitions and upgrades.

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Under the MLS stadium plan, existing functions of the fairgrounds, including auto racing and the speedway, are to remain. Operators of the state fair, which has called the fairgrounds home for more than a century, started a process in June to explore moving outside of Nashville.

In the MLS expansion competition, Nashville is widely seen as having assembled strong ownership — boosted by last week's announcement that the Wilf family, owners of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, have joined as a minority owner. Nashville has also impressed the league with its soccer market thanks to two record-setting high-profile matches at Nissan Stadium this year.

But the one remaining hurdle is also the most challenging — striking a stadium financing deal with Barry's administration and the Metro Council.

Other recent MLS stadium cost between $160 million and $350 million

Based on costs of other recently constructed or proposed MLS stadiums, Nashville's facility could cost between $160 million and $350 million.

Other cities in the MLS hunt, including St. Louis, San Diego and Charlotte, N.C., have each experienced setbacks on the stadium front, allowing Nashville to rise on the list of contenders.

Barry has said she wants a "private-public" deal, with an emphasis on the private portion of the deal from Ingram's end.

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Ingram, who earlier this year bought the ownership rights to Nashville Soccer Club, the city's new United Soccer League team, said talks about a final stadium cost are still ongoing.

"A lot of it will depend on ultimately what we can gain approval for from the city," Ingram said. "It's a little bit preliminary to talk about a price tag until you agree on what it is that you want to accomplish. It's certainly an important consideration, but it's a little bit of cart-before-the-horse."

Ingram said he agrees a stadium should include both private and public dollars, but noted there would be some expenses that are entirely private. Chief among them: a $150 million MLS expansion fee.

Vanderbilt remains interested in shared football stadium with MLS

Ingram touted the benefits of bringing MLS to Nashville, arguing it would boost economic development in the area, increase tourism and appeal to Nashville's vibrant immigrant community.

In a display of the ongoing talks between Ingram and Vanderbilt on a shared stadium, Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams was on hand Monday and confirmed the school remains interested.

He said the stadium would need to hold between 33,000 and 35,000 people for a shared-facility scenario to work. Architects have designed the stadium in a way that keeps this option open.

"At Vanderbilt, we regularly assess new opportunities, and we'll do the same with this," Williams said. " And if we think that it emerges that this vision provides an opportunity for our team, our fans and our community, we are very, very open to exploring that possibility."

Ingram, a member of Vanderbilt's Board of Trust, recently recused himself from decision-making on Vanderbilt's end regarding the stadium.

"We would welcome the opportunity to have another significant tenant in the building if that's something that Vanderbilt comes to the conclusion that it's the right thing for them to do," Ingram said.

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Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison.