NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro backed off on some of its demands in order to reach a deal to bring the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to the East Bank.
The new TPAC building will be located in a prime spot beside the Cumberland River, near the new Titans stadium.
Earlier this year, negotiations between Metro and TPAC stalled over disagreements about who would pay for infrastructure costs.
Metro was demanding that TPAC pay for needed changes to the pedestrian bridge.
But in the final agreement, Metro backed off on that demand.
Part of the pedestrian bridge that is within the footprint of the new TPAC building will have to be renovated, and Metro has agreed to cover those costs.
Speaker of the Tennessee House Cameron Sexton praised the deal.
"It's going to make Tennessee and Nashville a vibrant performing arts center to compare with Austin, New York and other areas," Speaker Sexton said.
Earlier this year, Sexton expressed frustration about what Metro was demanding from TPAC.
"If you don't want TPAC, just tell us, but the clock is running out, and that's a huge investment by the state," Sexton said on Inside Politics in July.
If Metro and TPAC had not reached a deal by the end of the year, the prime spot on the East Bank could have gone to something else.
The state had put hundreds of millions of dollars toward the TPAC relocation.
"I think all parties sat around the table and said this is good for everybody, and they figured it out," said Ben York, CEO of the East Bank Authority.
The Metro Council still must approve the deal.
Then, the first job will be moving an underground gas pipeline, which currently runs under the site where TPAC will be built.
Metro will pay for that work.
Construction on the changes to the pedestrian bridge will start in early 2027.
Construction on TPAC itself will come after that, with completion in 2030.
Another big decision will be on the size of the new East Bank Boulevard - the main thoroughfare, which will go in front of TPAC.
It could be as large as six lanes wide, but bike and walking advocates want it much smaller and with dedicated bike lanes.
There is no decision yet.
Speaker Sexton has been upset that the East Bank Authority, which he sits on, has so little power.
Metro makes most of the decisions.
He said again today that he may bring a bill next year to give the state more control over the East Bank.
"I think there's still concerns and a little bit of frustration. Is it truly an Authority or is it more just a rubber-stamp type of board?" Sexton said.
The Titans' new stadium is set to open in 2027 - the first actual building will be an affordable housing complex.
It is set to break ground next spring and will include more than 300 new affordable rental units.
