Titans’ new stadium plan meeting opposition from committee chair

The Tennessee Titans are hoping to be in a new stadium as early as 2025, but first it must get approved by the city council, where there is at least one high-profile detractor

According to Julia Masters of the Nashville Business Journal, Bob Mendes, the chair of the Metro Council’s East Bank Stadium Committee, is arguing that the proposed $2.1 billion stadium plan should be rejected.

“There is no reason for the state and local taxpayers to provide the largest public subsidy in the history of U.S. professional sports,” Mendes said. “That’s not a place where Nashville should be a leader.”

“The narrative from the Mayor’s Office and the team was able to stand for six months or longer before being shown as incomplete or inaccurate,” he added. “Unfortunately, in the public dialogue about the stadium, once something has been ‘true’ for six months, it’s hard to change that perspective even if the ‘true’ fact was actually false from the start.”

Mayor John Cooper and the Titans announced the plans for a new domed stadium back in October.

The NFL and Titans will put up about $840 million towards the new venue, with $200 million of that coming from the league. The state legislature has agreed to kick in $500 million, and Metro Nashville leaders have already committed to issuing revenue bonds to cover the remaining $760 million.

That $1.26 billion will be repaid by stadium and surrounding campus sales taxes, as well as a one-percent hotel tax on Davidson County, according to the plan.

The Metro Sports Authority approved the project plan’s main points on December 1.