Mayor John Cooper announced Monday that Metro will partner with Garth Brooks to operate a police substation at the country music star's Lower Broadway building.
The move comes after Brooks paid $47.9 million for the structure, with an address of 411 Broadway, in December 2021 (read here). The singer is planning a bar and restaurant, details for which have not been disclosed.
The release notes Brooks is covering the cost to get the substation operational (with build-out) and will require no lease.
To focus on traffic and safety concerns, the substation will add "critical resources" to keep the four-block segment of Broadway (from First to Fifth avenues) secure, the release notes. An opening date for the substation will be dictated by the schedule to modify the existing building.
As part of the agreement, which is subject to Metro Council approval, Metro will authorize condemnation of an alley adjacent to 411 Broadway. Metro authorizes such moves approximately between 15 and 30 alleyways each year to developers and property owners related to the city planning and permitting process.
“Lower Broadway is an iconic destination for fans of world-class music, sports and a good time, but as Nashvillians know well, it can also create safety and traffic challenges that my office is working hard to tackle across multiple fronts,” Cooper says in the release. “I commend Garth Brooks for stepping up to help make Lower Broadway safer and more enjoyable for everyone. These additional resources will add new tools to reduce traffic and improve community safety downtown while continuing to prioritize other initiatives for neighborhoods and families throughout Davidson County.”
Brooks is seeking to add two floors to the existing three-story building and will go before the Metro Historic Zoning Commission on Thursday to seek approval.
"I am deeply grateful to Garth and his team for including space that will serve as a mini hub for our operations in the Broadway entertainment district,” Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said in the release. “This unique partnership will help enhance public safety for downtown residents and visitors."
The MNPD operates its downtown precinct in a building located at the intersection of Korean Veterans Boulevard and Sixth Avenue South. That facility will remain operational. The new facility will also serve as a traffic control center for the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure.
Brooks is a seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and the only artist in history to receive nine Diamond Awards for the now nine albums certified by the RIAA at more than 10 million album sales each. He is the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified by the RIAA with 157 million album sales.
This article first ran via our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
