Nashville as MLB Expansion/Relocation Market

[BNAfan]

Is there a location along Murfreesboro that could work?  
 

If our transit priority is a line to the airport, why not piggyback on that and create an easy public  transit option to an MLB game?  To address Mark’s point about convention goers,  it might even be a line convention goers are familiar with having taken it upon arrival to town.  Such a location/investment might also jump start TOD.

 It would lack capitol views, but I am in favor of the nodes approach to large capital investment.  Spread the love around and the concentrations of people.  Allow neighborhoods to grow around the venue. It also prevents the “island” of large structures and gridlock when several events are happening simultaneously.  

Thoughts?

[PaulChinetti]

Right past the 24/40 split on Murfreesboro pike. 

 

[BNAfan]

Thank you!  Fun to think about.
 

Nice interstate access.  Prior to BNA so last transit stop would still be BNA, to not create confusion.  Owned by state since 1945.  Zoned industrial with some restrictions, have not dug into what they are. 46 acres.  I like it.  Now, where did I leave that magic wand…

[PaulChinetti]

Oh it is state land. That's a big plus.

Would be an even better reason for light rail up and down Murfreesboro from the airport to the convention center. 

[andywildman]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:56 AM, PaulChinetti said:

Right past the 24/40 split on Murfreesboro pike. 

 

Somebody get Paul a cut of that sweet Mortenson money for site selection!

[BNAfan]

Mortenson, are you listening?  We are making your job easy, here.  

[nashville born]

I'm a fan of node development as well.  And it would be a HUGE win if somehow  any new MLB stadium would introduce a light rail line between it and the cdowntown/onvention/high volume pedestrian area.

Edited February 27 by nashville born

[MidTenn1]

If the ballpark were located on the TSU property, there is a heavy rail short line (which used to go and is eventually planned to go to Ashland City) that could possibly be considered for use as transit as is the Music City Star (WeGo Star). There is no wye for a convenient turn to downtown but backing down to Charlotte Pike (with a station) would be convenient then proceed to downtown. The line is in the long range WeGo plans anyway. Maybe it's something that could be looked into.

I don't know how many people per hour it would carry but get rid of the cattle car look that the MCS has.

 

Edited February 27 by MidTenn1

[smeagolsfree]

Sorry I am going to stop harping on the fact we are not getting rail anytime soon. I was going to make the same comment in the MidCity thread as well. Right now, I think it is a pipe dream. It is not in Freddie's plan, it is not in the states plan, it is not in the regional transit authority plan because they really do not have a plan. All they do is talk, talk, talk with no action plan at all.

I am not even that confident the transit plan will pass this November until I see the plan. If it is as lackluster as I think it will be then voters may just pass on it. Billions into buses could be a waste of cash given Nashville's current traffic situation. It may work and it may not. Freddie is going to have a hard sale ahead of him.

 

BTW, yes, the older I get the more cynical I become because the more I hang around here the more I see promises broken by Metro, the State, Developers. Projects come and go that never get built. Almost 20 years here on the board teaches you that. I just get to the point that I believe it when I see it finished.

[Luvemtall]

I’m currently in Connecticut, making my way back to NYC for my flight back to Nashville. Was in Hartford on Saturday and all I could think about was, even in this city of 140,000 people and all around the state , all the cities here are somehow connected with a rail line and transit of some sort. Yes I understand all the points previously mentioned in our transit thread , but come on man! Nashville and Tennessee are so far, and I mean far behind in its infrastructure that it borders on ridiculous! 

[smeagolsfree]

2 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

I’m currently in Connecticut, making my way back to NYC for my flight back to Nashville. Was in Hartford on Saturday and all I could think about was, even in this city of 140,000 people and all around the state , all the cities here are somehow connected with a rail line and transit of some sort. Yes I understand all the points previously mentioned in our transit thread , but come on man! Nashville and Tennessee are so far, and I mean far behind in its infrastructure that it borders on ridiculous! 

It is going to remain behind I am afraid. We are so far behind it will take Nashville 20 years to catch up and 20 billion to do so. We can take this to the transportation thread too. Tennessee will stay behind because of the mentality of the state legislature. They will never do the right and hard thing along with the region either. They only thing will be more roads.

[Luvemtall]

Again a major sports venue , building away from the city center. Why I say a MLB stadium in Williamson ,Rutherford or Wilson would not be uncommon.

[UTgrad09]

2 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Again a major sports venue , building away from the city center. Why I say a MLB stadium in Williamson ,Rutherford or Wilson would not be uncommon.

It would be uncommon for baseball.

[donNdonelson2]

44 minutes ago, UTgrad09 said:

It would be uncommon for baseball.

The Braves don’t play in a downtown stadium.

[UTgrad09]

3 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

The Braves don’t play in a downtown stadium.

The Braves are one of the uncommon ones.

[jmtunafish]

11 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

The Braves don’t play in a downtown stadium.

Truist Park is still very much in the core of the Atlanta MSA and is not in a sea of parking lots out in the exurbs.  The red dot is the location of Truist Park.  Downtown Atlanta is nowhere near the population center of the Atlanta MSA, so moving the baseball park out of downtown actually put the stadium closer to most Braves ticket holders.

Edited May 4 by jmtunafish

[BnaBreaker]

I'm not a huge baseball guy so I'm probably off-base (no pun intended) here, but the only stadium I can think of that is truly out in the throws of deep suburbia is the Kansas City Royals stadium, and l think I heard that they were looking at moving closer to, if not into, the city itself as well.  So yeah, we definitely wouldn't want to be the odd men out!

[PaulChinetti]

4 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

I'm not a huge baseball guy so I'm probably off-base (no pun intended) here, but the only stadium I can think of that is truly out in the throws of deep suburbia is the Kansas City Royals stadium, and l think I heard that they were looking at moving closer to, if not into, the city itself as well.  So yeah, we definitely wouldn't want to be the odd men out!

Yeah one of the parts of the referendum was to move them downtown. 

[Luvemtall]

5 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

moving the baseball park out of downtown actually put the stadium closer to most Braves ticket holders.

I’d be willing to place a bet, that most of the Nashville Stars ticket holders would come from outside of Davidson County.

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, Luvemtall said:

I’d be willing to place a bet, that most of the Nashville Stars ticket holders would come from outside of Davidson County.

But downtown Nashville is still, more or less, the population center.  Downtown Atlanta is oddly situated in sort of the south/southwest corner of the metropolis.  

[Bos2Nash]

MLB Stadium chatter moved here.

The failure of Truist from what I have heard (because I've never been) is that it is not connected to MARTA or major transit in a city with established transit. Geodis, Nissan, First Horizon, Bridgestone are at least tied into the existing WeGo system, even with all its failures. The only time I have gone to a game at Geodis I took the bus to and from (we had to wait a frustrating 20 minutes for a bus leaving the game though).  I don't disagree that non-Davidson County residents will be the big season tickets holders, but if Major League Baseball wants to be out in the burbs, than name the team the Tennessee Stars. 

[Luvemtall]

So are you suggesting that they rename to the Nashville Titans? Or the Georgia Braves? It’s only a name, why so much animosity between Davidson and its Ring counties? It’s all within the MSA and basically counted as Part of the “Metro”. I’ve heard you praise how developed the area around Gillette Stadium is coming along, yet that isn’t within Boston City Limits , but it’s considered Boston’s team. I’m just hoping that we get MLB here, I don’t care about its name or location. It’s like this peeve with Nashville Superspeedway, and how NASCAR needs to be in Nashville. Well it is in Nashville at the Superspeedway, which just happens to be in Lebanon. But last time I checked, that’s part of the MSA and when it’s broadcast it’s “Welcome to Nashville “ and the “Nashville Race” just like the Atlanta Race that’s 30 miles outside of Atlanta. 

We are all supposed to be in this together, all of Middle Tennessee benefits and feeds off of each other 

[Sean blackdog]

Why Major League Baseball expansion won't be coming to Nashville anytime soon and hurdles it faces.  
https://www.aol.com/why-major-league-baseball-expansion-205135754.html

[PaulChinetti]

Hmmm, can't really move our time zone. That seems to be a pretty big barrier. 

[Bos2Nash]

Wanting an Eastern Time team seems to favor either Charlotte or going back to Montreal.