City Closes on $3.26 Million Sale of Land for Notes Live Development

Murfreesboro Amphitheater

The City of Murfreesboro finalized the closing Wednesday (Dec. 21) with Sunset on the Stones River LLC on property along Medical Center Parkway for development of Bourbon Brothers venues.

“We are pleased to close on the transfer of land for this exciting agreement to bring high-quality entertainment featuring live music,” said Mayor Shane McFarland. “The development will add an attractive amenity to our City. We cannot wait to see construction get underway along with necessary infrastructure enhancements to Medical Center Parkway.”

“We are excited to be working with the City of Murfreesboro on the first fully integrated Notes Live entertainment complex. With the Sunset on the Stones River Amphitheater, Boot Barn Hall and Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, Notes Live has something for every resident in Murfreesboro and middle Tennessee. We are looking forward to seeing our new friends in January when we expect to break ground along the Stones River,” said Notes Live founder and CEO JW Roth.

“This significant development in the Gateway will bring an important economic development on a parcel that has long been vacant and will be an economic asset for the City for many years to come,” said City Manager Craig Tindall. “The project will include an outdoor concert amphitheater and an indoor venue for entertainment and dinning in Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern. The development of these dining and entertainment venues will bring vibrancy to the City and help develop a unique brand that will spur future development on surrounding parcels.”

The Murfreesboro City Council voted Dec. 8, 2022, to approve the sale and authorize Mayor McFarland and City Manager Tindall to complete the closing. On Aug. 10, 2022, Council approved a Development Agreement with Notes Live, LLC. That agreement provided for the transfer of land to Notes Live for development of a Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, Boot Barn Hall, and the Sunset on the Stones River.

Under the sale, the City received a promissory note in the amount of $3,267,000, payable without interest in twenty (20) annual installments of $163,350. The first installment shall be payable on the first day of July immediately following the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for either Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern or Boot Barn Hall with successive payments due on each July 1 thereafter until paid in full.

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. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2023 with site grading and utility installation.

Mayor Shane McFarland and JW Roth, chairman of Notes Live, Inc., unveiled plans on May 19, to open a state-of-the-art, open-air amphitheater in the Murfreesboro Gateway. The amphitheater will be located on land that Notes Live purchased from the City.

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 500-seat table setting, acoustically designed music and event venue that can be converted into 1,400 standing-room general admission hall
Together, the venues are expected to hire approximately 150-200 employees featuring weekly concerts and see approximately 800,000 patrons per year

The multi-million-dollar Sunset on the Stones River amphitheater will host large touring acts on a live music entertainment campus featuring 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.