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Deal To Redevelop Antioch Mall As A Tech Hub Falls Through

Tony GonzalezWPLN
The vacant Global Mall at the Crossings was supposed to be Nashville's first 'innovation hub' until the deal fell through.
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Highly anticipated plans to redevelop a vacant Antioch mall have fallen through. According to a statement from the developer, the property had a number of previously undisclosed issues that ultimately soured the deal.

The redevelopment of the Global Mall at the Crossings was supposed to be Nashville’s first major “innovation district,” designed for startups and tech businesses. It had been a much-anticipated project, one garnering lots of support from the community.

But developer Ben Freeland issued a statement Tuesday saying the deal was dead. He cited no specifics, only that the property had “complex issues” that came to light in the past few weeks.

The mall has been vacant since 2012, but much of the surrounding properties have been redeveloped, as residents have flocked to the neighborhood for lower housing prices.

Meribah Knight, Senior Reporter/Producer of Special Projects

Meribah Knight is a senior reporter and producer at Nashville Public Radio. She’s the host and creator of the Peabody Award-winning podcast, The Promise as well as Serial’s recent podcast The Kids of Rutherford County.

Her reporting on race and inequality in public schools prompted a wholesale shift in enrollment and attitudes toward school choice in one Nashville neighborhood. And her reporting on the juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, Tenn., led to the retirement of its juvenile judge and new oversight of its juvenile detention center.

Knight has received numerous national awards for her reporting, including the George Foster Peabody Award and the George Polk Award. Knight was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the Goldsmith Award, and twice a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Knight received her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

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