KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Last week's rainy weather didn't help, but rebar still is rising on the site of the $114 million downtown stadium, project overseers say.
Concrete foundations are taking shape and walls will eventually begin to loom over the site between Jackson and Willow avenues, said Barry Brooke, executive vice president of LawlerWood, LLC, while giving a report Tuesday morning on infrastructure work to the Knoxville Knox County Sports Authority.
"Progress is good," Brooke said. "We hope to keep the good weather."
Baseball fans will notice a very obvious difference when they attend games there starting in spring 2025.
Home plate will look out to the south -- toward downtown. That's a different configuration than the current Smokies Stadium in Kodak, which looks out toward the north from home plate.
Brooke said the orientation was intentional and works to the benefit of players on the field.
Sharp-eyed fans also might notice differences in elevation on Jackson Avenue as they approach the stadium.
The street isn't actually level as it leads out from the Old City; it increases 18 feet in elevation as you head east on Jackson along the site, Brooke said. That's required adjustments to accommodate the topography.
The roughly 12-acre site will include a stadium to accommodate 7,000 seats. It'll be flanked by private condos, some office space and commercial development.
Entrepreneur Randy Boyd plans to move his Double A Tennessee Smokies to Knoxville from Kodak. The team will be known as the Knoxville Smokies when the come back to Knox County.
Boyd, who also is president of the University of Tennessee System, assembled the parcels for the site at his own cost. He's also committed millions of his own money to the project.
Boyd also is part of a private development group focusing on the condos and commercial buildings alongside the stadium.
Last month, the sports authority went to market for $65 million in bonds that'll help to cover construction costs. Annual debt service over 30 years is estimated to be about $3.6 million, said bond counsel Mark Mamantov.
The state has also contributed $13.5 million to the project. Boyd will pay annual rent to help offset costs, and sales tax collected within the stadium also will go to help cover the project.
The city and county estimate they'll have to cover about $800,000 a year, at least in the early years, to cover debt service from the $65 million bond issue. The county has said it'll use money collected from hotel-motel taxes to cover its share.
Besides about 70 home baseball games by the Cubs-affiliated Smokies, the stadium is expected to host One Knoxville soccer games, concerts and other community events. The public will be able to access the grounds routinely year-round, Boyd has said.
Stadium plans have triggered a surge in real estate sales in the area.
A hotel is now planned just on the other side of the James White Parkway at Jackson.
Just this month, Boghani Properties LLC bought several parcels near Barley's restaurant on Jackson for $6.2 million.
The neighborhood remained relatively stable for decades. That's all changed now that the stadium is taking shape.
The sports authority next meets July 25.
