TPAC's negotiations with Metro hit a snag
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An overview of the East Bank development. The new TPAC facility would go in lot F. Image: Courtesy of Metro Planning
Negotiations between the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Mayor Freddie O'Connell's administration for a new facility on the East Bank have gone sideways due to a disagreement over infrastructure costs.
Why it matters: A new TPAC facility is supposed to help anchor the East Bank redevelopment and serve as a hub for Nashville's performing arts community.
Catch up quick: Metro Council approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and TPAC last year. In a presentation to council at that time, O'Connell's team spelled out the nonprofit's commitment to pay for about $30 million in infrastructure costs.
- That plan included connecting the proposed TPAC building to an extension of the pedestrian bridge across the Cumberland River.
- The MOU approved by council called for giving TPAC the property, worth tens of millions of dollars, for free and charging virtually nothing annually in rent.
- The state has committed $500 million in matching funds, leaving TPAC to fundraise about $100 million for the project.
The latest: In a letter to the TPAC's full board on Monday, TPAC's executive committee says the project has been redesigned and disconnected from the pedestrian bridge.
- TPAC says Metro attorneys proposed an "open-ended obligation for TPAC to fully fund the costs" of the new bridge in addition to a new bike ramp.
- "We have done all we can to be responsive to Metro, and at this point, due to the extensive delays and resulting costs, we are compelled to consider alternate sites (for a new facility)," TPAC's executive committee said in the letter.
The other side: A spokesperson for O'Connell said in a statement that negotiations are ongoing, with the administration hoping to "strike an agreement that works for Metro taxpayers and provides a long-term home for the performing arts center."
- "TPAC has long-sought a lot on the East Bank that is the most expensive to develop because of its proximity to the pedestrian bridge," spokesperson Alex Apple says.
- "Metro believed TPAC was prepared to contribute money both to the pedestrian bridge and an exit ramp off the bridge. In order to advance discussions and offer more options, Metro has — in the months since — offered other lots and continued to negotiate on the original lot."