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Nashville acquires land for new Sounds ballpark

Proposed Nashville Sounds ballpark

The city of Nashville will officially acquire a key parcel of land from the state for construction of a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark on the old Sulphur Dell site.

As far as historic locations go, this is a biggie: baseball was played on the Sulphur Dell site from the Civil War era (or, as some would say, The War of Northern Aggression) to the early 1960s, and a new ballpark will be a notable return. In addition, city officials see the Sounds ballpark as a crucial step in connecting the up-and-coming Germantown area to downtown Nashville.

The transfer today was approved by the State Building Commission’s executive subcommittee, per The Tennessean:

The decision gives Metro control of about 10 acres where baseball was played from shortly after the Civil War until 1963. In exchange, Metro plans to spend $18 million to build a new, 1,000-space parking garage for state employees nearby, in the area near Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The city also has agreed to pay $5 million for a future underground parking garage below a state library and archives facility planned in the same area.

Dean’s plan for financing the minor league stadium, which would open in 2015 with 8,500 fixed seats and room for another 1,500 people, still needs to clear two more votes by the Metro Council, which is scheduled to take up the deal again next week. Metro would pay $65 million to build the stadium, including $37 million in construction costs, the $23 million for land acquisition and $5 million in capitalized interest.

By the way, no one spoke against the ballpark deal at the meeting, which was open to the public.

Image courtesy of Populous.

RELATED STORIES: Nashville contribution to new Sounds ballpark development: $65M; Nashville, Sounds reach agreement on new ballpark; Politicos: New Sounds ballpark would revitalize city core; Developer already anticipating Sulphuer Dell ballpark site; Key to new Sounds ballpark: Significant contribution from team owners; Nashville mayor: No financing plan yet for Sulphur Dell ballpark; Nashville: Bring baseball back to Sulphur Dell; Sounds extend Greer Stadium lease — but no new ballpark in sight; Sounds: We prefer East Bank for new-ballpark site; Nashville ballpark sites narrowed to three; Researching ballpark sites in Nashville; Nashville seeking community input for ballpark site; Nashville once again moving forward on new ballpark

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