Council Approves New Downtown Convention Center

Last night Nashville’s City Council overwhelmingly agreed to fund a new downtown convention center with a vote of 29 to nine. Mayor Karl Dean says construction will begin shortly, and he expects plans for an accompanying hotel to fall into place as well.

Dean says the official go-ahead will make it easier to bring a hotel to the site; he says several have approached the city in the last few weeks.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean speaking moments after the vote.

 

Dean expects a hotel will open around the same time the convention center is complete, or shortly after.

“We’ve got essentially three years to build a convention center. We’ve got a two-year time period it takes to build a hotel. I can’t guarantee anything. I’ll certainly not guarantee anything, but I feel confident about the economy of this city. I feel confident about the demand there’ll be in Nashville with the new convention center, and with the medical mart, for a new hotel.”

Dean says last night’s vote also enables deeper negotiation and planning on a new use for the city’s old convention center, as a market for medical-device manufacturers.

EXTRA:

Council Member Emily Evans argues the city will likely have to finance the convention center’s accompanying hotel. And she says that will be tough in a budget year forcing the city to either raise taxes or cut services.

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A crowd of hundreds turned out for the meeting, with many holding signs and saying the project will create jobs. But others worry the financial burden of the $650 million project will undermine current city workers.

 

The council chamber was so crowded before the meeting that dozens standing inside were asked to leave, and watch the proceedings via closed-circuit television in the hall.

Many were asked to watch from outside the chamber.

 

Over a hundred construction workers turned out in support, many holding signs saying ‘If You Build It, They Will Come.’

Workers rally for jobs.

 

Anthony Nicholson is president of the Nashville Building Trades.

“It’s going to create about 3,500 construction jobs when this convention center is built.”

But others at the meeting were less upbeat. William Currie is an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. He worries if a shortfall forces the city to pull money from its general fund, it will hurt employees like police and firefighters.

“I’m wondering what’s going to happen to Metro workers – are they going to get raises and longevity pay back?”

The city’s general fund could be tapped if tourism taxes can’t keep up with payments on the project’s debt.

MORE PHOTOS:

All photos courtesy Parker Bowab.

Hundreds of luminaires were arranged outside the chamber prior to the vote.

All photos courtesy Parker Bowab.

 

COUNCIL VOTES:

Aye: 29
Garrett, Barry, Tygard, Steine, Maynard, Matthews, Harrison, Hunt, Cole, Bennett, Forkum, Ryman, Jernigan, Burch, Claiborne, Page, Moore, LaLonde, Gilmore, Baker, Langster, McGuire, Adkins, Dominy, Wilhoite, Hodge, Toler, Coleman, Mitchell.

No: 9
Craddock, Hollin, Jameson, Gotto, Crafton, Evans, Holleman, Foster, Duvall

Abstain: 1, Todd
Absent: 1, Stanley