Garth Brooks teamed up with Nashville law enforcement to “bring additional safety measures and traffic control tools” to the city’s Lower Broadway, where the country music giant plans to open a bar and entertainment venue.

The agreement will mean a new Metro Nashville Police Department substation and Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure control room, coming at no cost to Metro Nashville taxpayers, reads a press release from the Nashville Mayor’s Office. Plans are subject to approval by Metro Council members. Metro will also authorize a commonplace condemnation of an alley adjacent to the venue. Officials noted that Metro Government authorizes about 15 to 30 alleyways to developers, property owners and others each year, per standard planning and permitting processes.

“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,” Mayor John Cooper said 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.”

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake added in a statement that he’s “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. This unique partnership will help enhance public safety for downtown residents and visitors.”

Brooks, a 7-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year winner, confirmed plans to open his venue earlier this year. The venue is slated to open at 411 Broadway, the former location of Downtown Sporting Club. Brooks teamed up with Nashville-based Strategic Hospitality to make it happen. The three-story, 40,000-square-foot venue was purchased in December 2021. Though the full venue has yet to open, the retail store opened earlier this year.

The “Friends In Low Places” icon will become the latest country artist to open a bar and entertainment venue on Downtown Nashville’s Lower Broadway, joining the star-studded list that includes Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley. Eric Church is also set to open a six-story venue next year.

“We feel very lucky to have the chance to be part of Lower Broad, which is arguably THE hottest spot in the country,” Brooks previously said in a news release announcing his bar. “The goal is a classic honky-tonk that welcomes all and encourages love and kindness while playing the greatest music in the world in the home of country music."

Corey Calhoun