Attention, Rutherford County arts lovers. Are you ready for a new Murfreesboro amphitheater?
The Murfreesboro City Council voted Wednesday, Aug 10 to approve a finalized development Agreement with Notes Live, INC for a new live entertainment campus at the southeast corner of Medical Center Pkwy and Gateway Blvd.
“We are excited to finalize the agreement for the high-quality entertainment venture featuring live music in both indoor and outdoor settings,” said Mayor Shane McFarland. “The public-private partnership will add an attractive amenity to our City and elevate Murfreesboro in the Nashville music scene.”
Photo Submitted by City of Murfreesboro
The amphitheater
Mayor Shane McFarland and Notes Live, INC unveiled plans on May 19 to open a 4,500-seat state-of-the-art, open-air amphitheater in the Murfreesboro Gateway called The Sunset Music Colosseum on the Stones River. The amphitheater will be located on land that Notes Live will purchase from the City.
The multi-million-dollar Sunset Colosseum on the Stones River amphitheater will host large touring acts on a live music entertainment campus featuring 45 firepit suites alongside stadium-style seating and causal lawn seating. The full-service restaurant will include a high-quality tasting room, rooftop patio and an integrated large outdoor patio.
Watch a video of the planned Notes Live Murfreesboro live music campus:
Other developments
The agreement also provides for the development of other venues on the Gateway site:
- Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, an upscale, casual dining restaurant
- Boot Barn Hall, a 400-seat table setting, acoustically designed music and corporate venue that can be converted into 1,400-stadium seating
- Together, the venues are expected to hire 200 full and part-time employees featuring weekly concerts and see approximately 800,000 patrons per year
The agreement also calls for a number of off-site infrastructure improvements including the extension of Gateway Boulevard to Robert Rose Drive with connection to signalization of Warren Street at Medical Center Pkwy (Fire Station 4). These improvements will include additional signalization, median reconstruction, sidewalk, streetlights, drainage, irrigation and needed utilities.
Traffic
While amphitheater venue traffic can be managed appropriately, similar to other medium to large-scale sports and entertainment events, the City and Council has also identified the need to expand Medical Center Parkway to improve traffic flow with a three-phase road-widening project beginning in early 2023. This approximately $26 million infrastructure improvement is independent of the Notes Live Project and could be completed by 2026-27.
- Phase 1 would widen Medical Center Pkwy from I-24 to Thompson Lane (2023-2024)
- Phase 2 would widen Medical Center from Thompson Lane to The Fountains (2024-25)
- Phase 3 would widen Medical Center Pkwy from The Fountains to Broad Street (2025-26)
Construction of Bourbon Brothers and Boot Barn Hall is estimated to take 18 months and the amphitheater 20 to 24 months following design approval by the Planning Commission and Council. For more information, visit noteslive.vip.
