Alternative site emerges for new TPAC building
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The street view of the state-owned facility where a new TPAC building could go. Photo: Nate Rau/Axios
State-owned land near the Nashville Sounds ballpark in Germantown is an alternative location for a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center facility, if the nonprofit can't strike a deal with Mayor Freddie O'Connell's administration for a building on the East Bank.
Why it matters: TPAC is working to build a new center that will be an anchor for the performing arts in Middle Tennessee, but government negotiations have been a challenge.
Catch up quick: TPAC has been pursuing a new facility on prime real estate near the new Titans stadium and next to the Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge.
- Metro proposed to give TPAC the pricey land for free and charge essentially nothing in annual rent. The state has committed $500 million in matching funds, leaving TPAC to fundraise about $100 million for the project.
State of play: Negotiations between TPAC and O'Connell's team over infrastructure costs and design details have threatened to derail a tentative agreement reached last year. According to multiple sources, O'Connell's administration sent TPAC an updated proposal two weeks ago.
Zoom in: Sources say the state-owned land where TPAC could pursue a new building is south of the state Library and Archives and across the street from the Sounds' First Horizon Park.
- The Tennessee State Museum is nearby on the other side of Bicentennial Park.
What they're saying: "Any thriving city like Nashville or a thriving state like Tennessee, we need a state-of-the-art performing arts center to take us to the next level," House Speaker Cameron Sexton told the Nashville Banner last week. "Whether that's on the East Bank or somewhere else on state property, I'm for it."
- TPAC said in an internal communication released to the media this month, "due to a lengthy process that is costing a lot of money and isn't progressing reasonably, we must consider alternate sites as we plan the future."
- "We remain committed to exploring with TPAC their preferred location on the East Bank," O'Connell spokesperson Alex Apple told Axios.
What's next: Metro's East Bank plan, approved last year by the council, includes a contingency for the property near the bridge if TPAC's project doesn't come together.
- East Bank developer The Fallon Company would then be in charge of developing that land.