Proposed Publicly-Owned Sports and Entertainment Stadium

Questions?

Send email to knoxvillestadium@
knoxvilletn.gov

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  QUESTIONS?
  Questions? Send email to
[email protected]
 
Rebekah Jane Justice
City of Knoxville Chief of Urban Design & Development

  865-215-3086
[email protected]

Chris Caldwell
Knox County Finance Director

  865-215-2350
[email protected]
   
Denark Construction Cam The City and County through the Sports Authority are building a publicly-owned East Knoxville multi-use stadium near downtown and the Old City. 

By 2025, the stadium will be hosting several hundred events a year - Tennessee Smokies baseball, One Knoxville SC soccer, concerts, festivals and other special events.

The total economic impact of the stadium and surrounding private development will be nearly $480 million over 30 years, with more than 400 full-time jobs being created, according to an independent analysis.

Check back here for periodic updates, news, photo galleries and videos on the project.





RECENT NEWS



June 20, 2023

New Renderings from GEMAA

Stadium Bird's Eye View Stadium North Aerial View Stadium View from Boxes
Click on each image above to see a larger view in PDF format


STADIUM NEWS



  • News item

    Check Out the Live Construction Cam

    Posted: 02/20/2024

    You can watch the construction process at the new stadium location. Read More

  • News item

    Coffeehouse Owner Sees Possibilities, Challenges

    Posted: 11/28/2023

    Shaun Parrish, co-owner of Old City Java and Wild Love Bakehouse, loves his neighborhood. His coffeehouse is a 2-minute walk from the stadium. He's excited about the possibilities - but he also sees some challenges. Read More

  • News item

    Boutique Owner: Stadium 'Positive for Everybody'

    Posted: 11/21/2023

    A new stadium is under construction at the spot where East Knoxville connects with the Old City. By spring 2025, the stadium will be hosting baseball, soccer, concerts and more. Downtown stadiums are different than many sports arenas. People attending events there tend to explore the neighborhood, eating, drinking and shopping there – before or after the game or concert. Beth MacDonald, owner of Bethie Lou’s Fabulous Gift Store, 110 S. Central St., sees the stadium and the buzz it will generate as "a positive for everybody." Read More

  • News item

    Will Stadium Be Appealing Draw to Musicians?

    Posted: 11/09/2023

    When it opens in 2025, will the new City- and Knox County-owned multi-use stadium create a new niche for the entertainment industry of Knoxville? When most people talk about Knoxville's new stadium, under construction in East Knoxville, they tend to think of it as a baseball venue. Or possibly a place to watch One Knoxville SC soccer. But with the flexibility to add seating on the field itself, the new stadium will accommodate 15,000 people for a concert – smaller than Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678 capacity) but larger than the Civic Coliseum (6,500). With a new outdoor venue that's a different size, could Knoxville draw musicians and other performers who currently aren't booking shows here? Read More

  • News item

    October Gallery: 5,000 CY of Concrete

    Posted: 10/10/2023

    What a difference a few months make! See major construction progress in this October photo gallery: Home dugout shapes up, first steel girders in place, lots on concrete poured. Read More

  • News item

    Video: New Stadium is Going Vertical

    Posted: 10/09/2023

    If you haven't driven lately across the Hall of Fame Drive bridge above Jackson Avenue, right where the Old City and East Knoxville intersect, you might be surprised. What had for months been a flat vacant parcel is suddenly recognizable: A stadium is taking shape and going vertical. Check out this video from last week! Read More

  • Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for Sept. 26, 2023

    Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for Sept. 26, 2023

    Posted: 09/15/2023

    The Knoxville Sports Authority will hold its regular meeting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2023, in the Board Room at the offices of KCDC located at 901 N. Broadway.  Read More

  • News item

    Ground Broken on Stadium Project: $480 M Economic Impact, Connecting Downtown and East Knoxville

    Posted: 06/30/2023

    On a pleasant and breezy Tuesday morning in mid-June, a large and diverse group gathered to officially break ground on the City- and County-owned multi-use stadium, just east of the Old City. Read More

  • Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for June 27, 2023

    Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for June 27, 2023

    Posted: 06/23/2023

    The Knoxville Sports Authority will hold its regular meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in the Board Room at the offices of KCDC located at 901 N. Broadway.  Read More

  • News item

    New Renderings from GEMAA

    Posted: 06/20/2023

    View June 2023 renderings from GEMAA in JPG and PDF formats. Read More

  • News item

    Stadium Bond Sale Completed

    Posted: 05/25/2023

    The Knoxville-Knox County Sports Authority's financing team, led by J.P. Morgan, went to the bond market Wednesday. Read More

  • Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for May 9, 2023

    Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for May 9, 2023

    Posted: 05/09/2023

    The Knoxville Sports Authority will hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in the Board Room at the offices of KCDC located at 901 N. Broadway.  Read More

  • News item

    Stadium Funding Plan Finalized

    Posted: 03/06/2023

    Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Tennessee Smokies Owner Randy Boyd agree that the originally approved plan for the funding of an East Knoxville multi-use stadium will not change. Read More

  • Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for Oct. 25, 2022

    Knoxville Sports Authority Meeting Set for Oct. 25, 2022

    Posted: 10/18/2022

    The Knox Sports Authority will meet in its regular meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the City’s Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave. Read More

  • News item

    Mayors: Enlarging Stadium Tax District Will Benefit East Knoxville

    Posted: 08/05/2022

    The Tax Increment Financing district surrounding the publicly-owned multi-use stadium is proposed to expand into the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District – several blocks beyond what was originally planned. Read More

  • News item

    Stadium Construction Moving to Next Stage

    Posted: 08/04/2022

    Motorists, anticipate the closure of a rectangle of East Knoxville streets as the next phase of construction gets underway for a new publicly-owned multi-use stadium. Read More

  • News item

    Stadium-related Utility Work to Begin in May

    Posted: 04/25/2022

    The first round of work related to construction of an $80 million publicly-owned multi-use stadium just east of the Old City will begin in May. Anticipate closures on parts of three streets to accommodate the initial utility upgrade work. Read More

  • News item

    Knoxville Smokies Baseball Team Takes Aim at Full Season in 2025

    Posted: 04/04/2022

    A spring 2025 date to start baseball in Knoxville in a new multi-purpose stadium is now likely because of global supply chain issues and a volatile construction market. The original date had been spring 2024. Read More

  • News item

    Stadium Economic Impact Statement Available Online

    Posted: 08/20/2021

    A detailed 51-page Tax Revenue and Economic Impact Assessment for a proposed publicly-owned multi-use stadium was presented and discussed during a joint City Council and County Commission workshop Thursday evening. Read More

  • News item

    Stadium Update: First Concourse Decking in Place

    Posted: 01/01/1800

    Enter News Summary Here Read More



UPCOMING MEETINGS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED STADIUM PROJECT



November 28, 2023 Sports Authority Meeting
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. - Board Room at KCDC - 901 N. Broadway

December 26, 2023 Sports Authority Meeting
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. - Board Room at KCDC - 901 N. Broadway

Upcoming Sports Authority Board Meetings can be found here


PRELIMINARY ARTIST RENDERINGS OF THE STADIUM PROJECT



Event renderings


KEY DETAILS



• Boyd Sports and the Tennessee Smokies AA Southern League baseball team plans to lease the stadium, but the facility would be designed to accommodate other sports and host hundreds of other non-baseball events each year, such as concerts, festivals or soccer games.

• Smokies owner Randy Boyd has agreed to enter into a market-value 30-year lease that would allow the Smokies to play in the new stadium for decades to come. Details on Randy Boyd’s plans for the Smokies can be found here. 

• As part of a larger redevelopment effort around the stadium, GEM Community Development Group, the private development partner to Boyd Sports, is planning to invest more than $100 million to build apartments, condos, restaurants and offices.

• No property taxes will be used to fund the stadium project. A Tax Revenue & Economic Impact Assessment was conducted by CSL can be found here. 

• A spring 2025 date to start baseball in Knoxville in a new multi-purpose stadium is now likely because of global supply chain issues and a volatile construction market. The original date had been spring 2024.

• The City and County have formed a new Sports Authority to oversee the facility. Details on the Sports Authority can be found here.