Nashville as MLB Expansion/Relocation Market

[Jarno6006]

On 11/21/2022 at 4:32 PM, MLBrumby said:

That looks like it would be very tough to get in/out of on gameday. 

I am trying to think of another stadium anywhere as  land locked and inaccessible as this location would be.  Geodis Park looks easy to get to comparably from a map.  I just can't help but think with 600,000 plus people in Rutherford and Williamson counties alone (and probably closer to 800k easily by 1st pitch in a new stadium) that you have to be closer.   You have basically one option besides I-40 which is Clarksville Pike and getting there to cross the river is way out of the way to probably at least 90% of the people who would attend.  I not saying you have to make it easy for everyone to get to, because you can't.  I am just saying don't make it hard for everyone to get to.

 

[Luvemtall]

I just don’t understand, with all this talk of redeveloping the East Bank , moving to a new Titans Stadium and building up almost 200 acres of “Sports Authority “ land . Why if this MLB idea is at all legit, is there not talk of building their Stadium into the grand scheme of the plan? Would not a major league team fall under the umbrella of the Sports Authority anyway? The new Titans Stadium is said to have entertainment experience areas and so is the idea of the people behind this venture. Why not incorporate both venues into one sports and entertainment district? Build the baseball stadium where Nissan is now and connect them both together with a entertainment district and share the cost and the city will benefit from the new tax plans for this area. It just make sense, maybe that’s why it’s not being thought about, it’s to easy a solution. 

[PaulChinetti]

Probably because until the Stars actually have a billionaire backing them, it’s really nothing but a pipe dream. 

[Luvemtall]

17 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

Probably because until the Stars actually have a billionaire backing them, it’s really nothing but a pipe dream. 

This is true, but they do seem to have a few elite backers. 

[Bos2Nash]

I am just going to quote myself from last July as we are circling back to similar topics again. While traffic is a concern for the baseball stadium, I think it is a "solvable" problem and that challenge is minimal when looking at the good and possibly repairing nature of using TSU's site. Apologies that folks will have to hit expand to really see the breakdown of things.

On 7/21/2022 at 1:50 PM, Bos2Nash said:

This conversation has really spiraled in critiquing others wording of things. 

I agree that working to correct the damaging results of redlining needs to be done carefully. If the ownership group was a white billionaire, the fight would be much harder when that came about. The minority led ownership group is working to honor the past while bringing in new spending power to a depressed area. The TSU Farm site is challenging for sure, but none of those challenges are unsolvable. I'm gonna quote myself below from the end of May where the viability of the site was discussed.

An MLB stadium in this neighborhood - as I state below - has the opportunity to give some neighborhood pride in this area for the residents and college campus. The notion that the area around the ballpark needs to be like 12 South or Lower Broad or any other neighborhood we already have in town is a little preposterous. This should be and can be a very unique neighborhood. While some will relocate out of the area, I don't think - if done correctly - it will necessarily push folks out. The land here is also open farm land, the single family housing in the area is actually further away than some housing around Nissan. I would not be shocked if we begin to hear about more items that PillowTalk4 mentions with possible financing coming from some of those bigger corporations that otherwise have not spent money in the area previously.

Also having a stadium over here, should push more Metro officers to be located in this precinct which should help with response times and neighborhood policing. TSU Campus Police may not be responsible for events or crimes in the area depending on how a ground lease is worked through. This is also a great opportunity for an truly effective special tax district like the Gulch in which businesses pay an extra tax for cleanliness, first responder funding, etc. A special tax district would be much more beneficial here than for the Titans stadium IMHO.

On 5/31/2022 at 11:02 AM, Bos2Nash said:

On 5/30/2022 at 10:04 AM, markhollin said:

I have a screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent development map that sows the Cumberland Shores area north of TSU's campus where this 140 acre baseball/entertainment complex would sit.

I really don't like this location for 3 primary reasons:

1) Access to it would be quite difficult for 42,000 people at the ballpark, and 25-50,000 for this adjoining entertainment venue they are proposing.  The closest interstate would be I-40, with the nearest interchange at 28th Ave. North/Jefferson St.  (which is simply NOT made for high levels of traffic) being nearly a mile away at about 14 blocks. The next closest would be I-40 at 46th Ave. North, and would require cutting event traffic though a primarily residential portion of The Nations on narrow roads, and being at least 2 miles to the Ballpark Village area.

2) This is a flood plain of major proportions that would need major infrastructure work to assure everything would not go underwater a time or two every decade (on average).

3) It is nowhere near the energy and sizzle of downtown (nearly 3 miles away as the crow flies) with no direct routes, thus making it quite cumbersome in trying to attract tourist attendance.

My guess is MLB Nashville group is focusing on this site because it is the only one that is making sense to a certain degree as far as moldable/relatively cheap acreage. Perhaps they believe the TSU connection will bring a certain level of cache to the whole African American ownership concept and the Nashville Stars tie-in with the negro leagues/North Nashville heritage.  But I fear they are wildly overestimating what any of that will actually mean in establishing a healthy, profitable sports franchise.  They are straining so hard to appeal to 10% of the population...and while this is highly admirable, I think at times they are painting themselves into a corner. 

 I understand why they are looking here and applaud what they are doing. I do disagree that this is an ideal location (see my last thoughts), but really applaud the mindset they are taking and the reasons they are doing it.

There are a couple things to unpack from Mark's comments above.

1) Access would absolutely be abysmal at first, absolutely. 28th/Ed Temple Blvd would most likely have to be expanded from I-40 to Buchanan Street or even Clarksville Pike. While this is expensive (especially the 28th stretch), not totally unreasonable as there appears to be a fair amount of frontage. The other way in to this stadium (from the east) would probably be from the Metrocenter side and handled with interstate signage and such to get folks off the interstate and moving around that collector road. Coming from the West is a bit more difficult because 51st would most likely be the primary exit, because the next one wouldn't be until Jefferson Street. 51st is already a fairly large road, possibly some of the stop signs would get converted to signals (GASP) and the 51st & Centennial intersection could finally be addressed properly. I think the ownership would have to have a very good traffic plan and lots of money for roadway improvements, but I don't think it is insurmountable. GEODIS Park is a great example, even if they are slightly closer to the highway. Gillette Stadium is another great example of lack of highway connection, but still very successful mixed-use development.

2) Flood plain could be a concern as most of the site is sitting in the 100 year flood plain – this equates to a 1% chance of flooding year over year. The River North site is the same way and look at what is being planned there. Nissan Stadium and the new proposed location mysterious has had the flood plain drawn around (kind of odd in how that happened) and PSC Metals is within the 500 year flood plain, so a 0.2% chance to flood year over year. Flood mitigation can easily be planned for and probably would still not jump land cost up to East Bank levels (I'm thinking what the land + cleanup of PSC would cost an ownership group because Metro cannot and should not entertain those costs).

3) Yes it is outside the hustle and bustle of Downtown Nashville, but maybe they don't want to be associated with the ruckus that is downtown Nashville? You look at other major, big boy cities and their ballparks are not all located right downtown. Fenway Park is located within Boston and what everyone knows as the city, but it is located 2.14 miles from the heart of downtown with almost ZERO interstate access. The North Nashville site is located 2.75 miles from Lower Broadway. I would also argue that we could see the city proper expand over the next 30 to 50 years (which should be the MINIMUM target lifespan of a stadium), where that number comes down. Additionally, rather than the Sports Authority owning the stadium, maybe this stadium will technically be owned by TSU and the Stars would be a tenant. This would be a large revenue stream for TSU, would possibly help finance the Cumberland City Project (Mark highlighted in the map) for the university's expansion. The City Project is 84 acres according to TSU's website and the ownership group said they are looking at approximately 140 acres. The area on the development map is approximately 182 acres, which leaves about 42 acres of overlap (and would also eliminate the entire TSU Farm/Goat-Cattle facilities, unsure if that is desired by the university) where there could be shared buildings (ie student housing, academic buildings, etc) that could then feed off one another. In theory, a baseball stadium (owned by TSU) could kick TSU up to a Vandy level presence within the city and if that happens, who gives a crap about 2.75 miles.

They are absolutely looking at the North Nashville site from a money perspective, but I believe what Dave Stewart laid out is also laying out something bigger than just baseball. Maybe they are partnering with TSU in a partnership to bring baseball to TSU (they currently have softball, but no baseball program) and they are seeing a potential to bring a baseball program to a HBCU school in order to help create a more opportunity to increase the demographic within baseball. They talk about different hiring practices, maybe they will look at different scouting practices. The site is also a historically redlined neighborhood, so they could possibly be looking at breathing a new sense of life and commercial gain into the area. I don't think the baseball stadium would be a huge economic driver, but it would give the North Nashville, TSU/Fisk areas something they could be proud of. Something that they want to go spend some time during the weekend around or possibly even a mid-week night out. Something the highway cap (which I was big time in favor of) really did nothing of the sort.

All this to say, I still believe that if enough money is thrown at First Horizon Park (because the Sounds would not survive a Major League team in the same city), it could be converted into a Major League stadium. It would probably require a rebuild surrounding the field, but there is plenty of space to add seats around the stadium. No ownership group will admit to that because every ownership group wants their own shiny, new space (cough Titans cough) but it is very much doable. 

[Luvemtall]

Bos2Nash , all great talking points. After reading though all the expands, the next question is what does become of First Horizon Park if /when MLB comes to Nashville? With all the new construction of the ballpark village area , and Germantown itself, does it make more since to “rethink” “reuse” this venue and bring it to full MLB specs? 

[Bos2Nash]

1 minute ago, Luvemtall said:

Bos2Nash , all great talking points. After reading though all the expands, the next question is what does become of First Horizon Park if /when MLB comes to Nashville? With all the new construction of the ballpark village area , and Germantown itself, does it make more since to “rethink” “reuse” this venue and bring it to full MLB specs? 

Fair questions all around. I have been a proponent of renovating First Horizon Park if they want any assistance from the city for bringing a ballpark here. Maybe that is why they are so interested in TSU, because otherwise they would need to work with Metro and they want to work with First Horizon in some capacity. It has been mentioned here several times that First Horizon cannot be renovated, but that is hogwash. It only takes money and creativity to renovate stadiums like First Horizon. If they are able to put seats on the Green Monster at Fenway Park, they can upgrade First Horizon. 

Second to that, working with First Horizon or possibly the Sport Authority could possibly restrict revenue streams to the team rather than building their own complex in association with TSU.

[smeagolsfree]

Who knows, in 40 years, this may be part of the overall core of Nashville.  If you draw a line from 8th & Broadway as the crow flies, it is about the same distance between the TSU site as it is from Geodis Park. The way you get there is just a little different and less direct.

[MLBrumby]

I seem to recall some US CB estimates that put the Nashville metro area at 2.5M in 2035, but I think the latest estimates for the whole state (83K from 2021-2022) are more than just a SWAG to cover up an undercount from 2020 (also the estimates for 2021 showed a loss for Nashville).  Given that fully half of the previous decades' increases have been apportioned to the Nashville MSA, I think it's quite likely that the MSA will hit 2.5 million by 2030, and if the trends continue, it will reach upwards of 3M by 2040. I think a model for Nashville's growth is Denver's from 1990-2010.  

[Winter Panda]

Quote

6 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Bos2Nash , all great talking points. After reading though all the expands, the next question is what does become of First Horizon Park if /when MLB comes to Nashville? With all the new construction of the ballpark village area , and Germantown itself, does it make more since to “rethink” “reuse” this venue and bring it to full MLB specs? 

 

If Nashville does ever receive an MLB team and it is determined that both the Sounds and the MLB team cannot coexist in the same city, I wonder if First Horizon Park could be converted into a soccer specific stadium similar to what Huntsville did with their Joe Davis Stadium where Nashville SC’s MLS Next Pro team is set to play. Obviously, soccer can already be played at First Horizon Park as Nashville SC played there when they were still in the USLC. However, that configuration didn’t have the most ideal sightlines for soccer. If it could be converted into a soccer specific stadium, perhaps they could attract an NWSL expansion team or relocation. The possibility of the NWSL coming to Nashville was discussed several months ago, but I haven't heard anything more on it since then.

[PruneTracy]

14 hours ago, Winter Panda said:

If Nashville does ever receive an MLB team and it is determined that both the Sounds and the MLB team cannot coexist in the same city, I wonder if First Horizon Park could be converted into a soccer specific stadium similar to what Huntsville did with their Joe Davis Stadium where Nashville SC’s MLS Next Pro team is set to play. Obviously, soccer can already be played at First Horizon Park as Nashville SC played there when they were still in the USLC. However, that configuration didn’t have the most ideal sightlines for soccer. If it could be converted into a soccer specific stadium, perhaps they could attract an NWSL expansion team or relocation. The possibility of the NWSL coming to Nashville was discussed several months ago, but I haven't heard anything more on it since then.

Independent baseball is always an option as well, although whether the Nashville market could support an MLB team and a professional team at any other level, much less in a league that technically competes with MLB, is questionable.

I agree with @Bos2Nashthat First Horizon Park could be expanded and upgraded. Or should be, given the history of the site and proximity to downtown and the increasingly Wrigleyville-esque Germantown. We went on a tour of the ballpark in the middle of construction and had a discussion about the feasibility of expansion, it seems doable. Plus it gives the ballpark the quirks and charm that most other new stadiums have to replicate inorganically.

Bottom line, don't underestimate the ability of engineers to make things happen (and let architects pretend they helped).

[Bos2Nash]

1 hour ago, PruneTracy said:

Bottom line, don't underestimate the ability of engineers to make things happen (and let architects pretend they helped).

Oh I see how it is 

[nashvylle]

If the State of Tennessee donates the land where the current 1-story tech warehouse is located, you could renovate or just demolish and build a new stadium. 5th avenue would have to end there (or go underground). 

[Winter Panda]

11 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

I agree with @Bos2Nashthat First Horizon Park could be expanded and upgraded. Or should be, given the history of the site and proximity to downtown and the increasingly Wrigleyville-esque Germantown. We went on a tour of the ballpark in the middle of construction and had a discussion about the feasibility of expansion, it seems doable. Plus it gives the ballpark the quirks and charm that most other new stadiums have to replicate inorganically.

Bottom line, don't underestimate the ability of engineers to make things happen (and let architects pretend they helped).

I don’t doubt that the engineers would be very capable of converting First Horizon Park to MLB standards. I do wonder if the Stars have not pursued this option more fervently due to their desire to have their stadium be domed. Additionally, I am concerned that any expansion of First Horizon Park would necessarily involve the demolition of existing buildings near the stadium. I wonder if the cost savings of not starting a stadium from scratch would be outweighed by having to purchase and demolish these surrounding structures. That being said, I don’t know what impact converting the stadium into a soccer specific one would have on the stadium’s current footprint. The First Horizon Park redeveloper may find themselves in a similar predicament with the surrounding buildings if this were the avenue pursued following the new MLB stadium being placed elsewhere.

11 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

Independent baseball is always an option as well, although whether the Nashville market could support an MLB team and a professional team at any other level, much less in a league that technically competes with MLB, is questionable.

One possibility for keeping First Horizon Park a baseball venue would be to move Vanderbilt’s team there. This would allow Vanderbilt to demolish Hawkins Field and would provide additional space for the expansion of FirstBank Stadium.

[samsonh]

2 hours ago, Winter Panda said:

I don’t doubt that the engineers would be very capable of converting First Horizon Park to MLB standards. I do wonder if the Stars have not pursued this option more fervently due to their desire to have their stadium be domed. Additionally, I am concerned that any expansion of First Horizon Park would necessarily involve the demolition of existing buildings near the stadium. I wonder if the cost savings of not starting a stadium from scratch would be outweighed by having to purchase and demolish these surrounding structures. That being said, I don’t know what impact converting the stadium into a soccer specific one would have on the stadium’s current footprint. The First Horizon Park redeveloper may find themselves in a similar predicament with the surrounding buildings if this were the avenue pursued following the new MLB stadium being placed elsewhere.

One possibility for keeping First Horizon Park a baseball venue would be to move Vanderbilt’s team there. This would allow Vanderbilt to demolish Hawkins Field and would provide additional space for the expansion of FirstBank Stadium.

This Nashville stars adventure is not a serious endeavor. No financial backing of any heft. No civic support for a 2B stadium. But a new headline every 6 months. If we get MLB it will not be with this group. We can already see what having undercapitalized ownership does to teams.

[PruneTracy]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:17 PM, Winter Panda said:

Additionally, I am concerned that any expansion of First Horizon Park would necessarily involve the demolition of existing buildings near the stadium. I wonder if the cost savings of not starting a stadium from scratch would be outweighed by having to purchase and demolish these surrounding structures.

I think the trick would be to utilize the first base / right field space, which is currently vacant except for the Hit City Hall tent, see attached sketch.

The biggest limitation here would be the lack of premium seating, although that could be adjusted in the plan (say by removing the additional seating in the third-base upper-deck seating in favor of multilevel suites). The red-orange sections would also sit at an angle relative to the columns underneath (although they are likely not going to be able to support seating on top of the existing two-story structure with a basement). I'm also not sure that the existing concourse is large enough and the upper deck would have a split concourse that will need ramps not shown.

It's asymmetrical and ugly as sin, yes, but then so are/were many older parks, including Sulphur Dell. I can't measure from MSPaint but looks like it could be 25,000 to 30,000 seats, which is small, but that's the direction stadiums are trending.

[WebberThomas4]

2 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

I think the trick would be to utilize the first base / right field space, which is currently vacant except for the Hit City Hall tent, see attached sketch.

The biggest limitation here would be the lack of premium seating, although that could be adjusted in the plan (say by removing the additional seating in the third-base upper-deck seating in favor of multilevel suites). The red-orange sections would also sit at an angle relative to the columns underneath (although they are likely not going to be able to support seating on top of the existing two-story structure with a basement). I'm also not sure that the existing concourse is large enough and the upper deck would have a split concourse that will need ramps not shown.

It's asymmetrical and ugly as sin, yes, but then so are/were many older parks, including Sulphur Dell. I can't measure from MSPaint but looks like it could be 25,000 to 30,000 seats, which is small, but that's the direction stadiums are trending.

And the infrastructure is already there. It’s also a better location that would cost half of a new stadium. 

[smeagolsfree]

Someone needs to send this to the Ding Dongs at the Music City Stars. It would be sort of cool to have a stadium built over existing buildings too. Sort of an old school park. That could be done if they built over the Sounds retail building on Third.

They could also have Nashville's version of the "Big Green Wall" in east field too, with the scoreboard on top of it.

 

[Luvemtall]

After reading all the comments, and thinking about it all weekend. I think if MLB comes to town and they actually pull this off, then First Horizon Park is the most logical choice. It would be a shame to just let it go, it’s location is in itself part of the Heritage and legacy of baseball in Nashville. 

[Bos2Nash]

Glad we were able to circle back to renovating the existing ballpark. This would certainly be more costly to the MLB team from a cost perspective and have more limiting parameters, but from a city/land use standpoint it is the more sustainable approach. Mothballing First Horizon (especially since we are still paying for it) would be absolutely irresponsible from the city's standpoint.

[smeagolsfree]

The only issue is parking just like the MLS stadium. However, this could be solved if the State built parking garages on their lots in the surrounding area.

[markhollin]

In regards to First Horizon being  converted to MLB standards:

1) I still say that huge revisions would need to be made to the neighborhood in order for an another level of luxury suites and an upper deck to be added. These would include closing Jr. Gilliam Way (formerly Jackson St.); razing at least the SE portion of Carillon Apartments (which just opened 6 years ago); razing Von Elrod's; razing or greatly altering the Sounds retail building that was just opened 2 years ago.  All of these feature long-term tenants and would involve lots of litigation.  And please don't use the Fenway Park argument for workarounds---no MLB ownership is going to want to sacrifice premium seating behind home plate. Fenway is a unique situation built on 110 years of history in a completely land-locked footprint.  If Bosox ownership were starting from scratch, they would NEVER choose a site like that. 

2)  The owners of the MLB franchise would most certainly want to create and/or partner with other developers on a baseball village full of retail & restaurants.  This would entail them buying up several other tracts in the neighborhood.  Ones that come to mind include: a) the State Capitol Service Center and surface lot along 5th Ave. North just to the west of the ballpark; b) the SP+ surface lot on NW corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; c) the Bekry surface lot on NE corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; d) The Caliber Collision/Premier surface lot at SE corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; and e) the Von Elrod's, DeSanto's Pizza,  Geist House/Sports Bar site just north of the stadium.  Whether any or even some of them are willing to sell would be a big issue, and if they do, there will be hefty price tags.

3) Even though First Horizon has a somewhat decent footprint/foundation, my guess is to increase the capacity from 10,000 to at least 35,000 along with all the bells & whistles associated with a modern MLB park/village will still be in the $1.25 billion range.

4) As Smeags mentioned, there would need to be at least triple the parking that is currently available in the area.  I would think that internal/underground garages could be part of the Ballpark Village concepts surrounding the stadium. 

5) The ever-growing residential community within a mile in each direction will most likely have some say (mostly negative) about the traffic flow in/out of the neighborhood for a minimum of 82 games per year.  The closest freeway intersection is 3/4 of a mile away with 3 traffic lights; the other 3 closet are at least 1.3 miles away, each with numerous traffic lights/stop signs. 

All of these elements could certainly be addressed, but would take more money than I think is being considered here. 

Additionally, should a MLB Ballpark be built elsewhere in Nashville, and First Horizon be left empty (any dreams of it being used for another minor league team, or new home for Vandy baseball, or converted into another soccer stadium are just not realistic), it could be razed  and then the land would fetch a pretty nice price tag from a developer that could help recoup  a decent chunk of the cost to build it in the first place.  First Horizon has been open for 8 seasons now (believe it or not) and has generated a ton of tax money and pay-down on its cost.  It would most likely be another 3-4  seasons (at least) as a minor league home before a major league franchise were to replace it in the city, so that would be more summers of income generation to pay down the debt.  Would be interesting to know what that debt figure currently is. 

[CandyAisles]

The lease of First Horizon Park is owned by an individual who isn't going to sell it or give it away to any MLB group.  Full stop.  Just one architect pretending to help.

[Jarno6006]

6 hours ago, markhollin said:

In regards to First Horizon being  converted to MLB standards:

1) I still say that huge revisions would need to be made to the neighborhood in order for an another level of luxury suites and an upper deck to be added. These would include closing Jr. Gilliam Way (formerly Jackson St.); razing at least the SE portion of Carillon Apartments (which just opened 6 years ago); razing Von Elrod's; razing or greatly altering the Sounds retail building that was just opened 2 years ago.  All of these feature long-term tenants and would involve lots of litigation.  And please don't use the Fenway Park argument for workarounds---no MLB ownership is going to want to sacrifice premium seating behind home plate. Fenway is a unique situation built on 110 years of history in a completely land-locked footprint.  If Bosox ownership were starting from scratch, they would NEVER choose a site like that. 

2)  The owners of the MLB franchise would most certainly want to create and/or partner with other developers on a baseball village full of retail & restaurants.  This would entail them buying up several other tracts in the neighborhood.  Ones that come to mind include: a) the State Capitol Service Center and surface lot along 5th Ave. North just to the west of the ballpark; b) the SP+ surface lot on NW corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; c) the Bekry surface lot on NE corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; d) The Caliber Collision/Premier surface lot at SE corner of Jr. Gilliam Way and 3rd Ave. North; and e) the Von Elrod's, DeSanto's Pizza,  Geist House/Sports Bar site just north of the stadium.  Whether any or even some of them are willing to sell would be a big issue, and if they do, there will be hefty price tags.

3) Even though First Horizon has a somewhat decent footprint/foundation, my guess is to increase the capacity from 10,000 to at least 35,000 along with all the bells & whistles associated with a modern MLB park/village will still be in the $1.25 billion range.

4) As Smeags mentioned, there would need to be at least triple the parking that is currently available in the area.  I would think that internal/underground garages could be part of the Ballpark Village concepts surrounding the stadium. 

5) The ever-growing residential community within a mile in each direction will most likely have some say (mostly negative) about the traffic flow in/out of the neighborhood for a minimum of 82 games per year.  The closest freeway intersection is 3/4 of a mile away with 3 traffic lights; the other 3 closet are at least 1.3 miles away, each with numerous traffic lights/stop signs. 

All of these elements could certainly be addressed, but would take more money than I think is being considered here. 

Additionally, should a MLB Ballpark be built elsewhere in Nashville, and First Horizon be left empty (any dreams of it being used for another minor league team, or new home for Vandy baseball, or converted into another soccer stadium are just not realistic), it could be razed  and then the land would fetch a pretty nice price tag from a developer that could help recoup  a decent chunk of the cost to build it in the first place.  First Horizon has been open for 8 seasons now (believe it or not) and has generated a ton of tax money and pay-down on its cost.  It would most likely be another 3-4  seasons (at least) as a minor league home before a major league franchise were to replace it in the city, so that would be more summers of income generation to pay down the debt.  Would be interesting to know what that debt figure currently is. 

Back in 2019, there were several articles about First Horizon and the fact it could not be expanded to support MLB.  I searched and did not find the exact article., but it listed severl reasons and that is why First Horizon that has been a no go since day one. 

I did find this one article that recapped it:  https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/10/01/potential-nashville-mlb-ballpark-renderings-released/#:~:text=The market is currently home,expanded to meet MLB standards.

From article:  The market is currently home to a successful Minor League Baseball franchise in the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), and all indications have been that the club’s First Horizon Park cannot be expanded to meet MLB standards.

[Brichar4]

If anyone else is a little bit of a stadium nerd, i found this twitter account with some awesome ideas for Major League Ball Parks. He builds 3D models himself and has great ideas for when days have lesser crowds and how the stadium could adjust for it. Really interesting stuff for sure, would love to have something like his ideas in town if we ever get a MLB team.