HVS, a global consulting and services firm for the hospitality and leisure industries, released preliminary results of a feasibility study conducted for Music City Center. The analysis was conducted independently of other project consultants to provide third-party verification of demand for a new downtown convention center in Nashville and the revenues available to fund the project. HVS presented its key findings to the Metro Council on Wednesday night and again Thursday morning to the Convention Center Authority.
The analysis determined that Music City Center will attract an estimated 270 events with a total 546,500 people in attendance during a stabilized year (2015-16), over double the 218,583 people that attended events at the current Nashville Convention Center in fiscal year 2009. The analysis also forecasts that the six sources of capital funding for the project, all visitor-related taxes and fees, will generate total revenue of $34.6 million in 2013, $50.9 million in 2018, and $59.2 million in 2023. Actual tax receipts from fiscal year 2009 were used as the starting point for the revenue projections.
The complete report will be made available prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
September 29, 2009
Finance Director Rich Riebeling held an information session for Metro Council members about the headquarters hotel planned to be located adjacent to Music City Center. Members of the project’s finance and development team made a presentation on the need for a convention center headquarters hotel and financing models used to develop convention center hotels in other cities. Riebeling and team members then answered Council members’ questions. Additional Council workshops will be held in October and November, prior to the Administration filing legislation for a financing package before the end of the year.
June 16, 2009
The board of directors of the Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) today announced that it has selected Phelps Portman Nashville, LLC to develop, design and construct the 1,000-room hotel adjacent to the planned downtown convention center project. Plans call for the hotel to feature approximately 100,000 square feet of meeting space and ballrooms, as well as retail outlets and restaurants.
The Phelps Portman group has been involved with the development of 10 hotels with 1,000 or more rooms, including the 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, which recently opened on time and on budget to rave reviews. Some of their other notable projects include the Marriott Marquis Times Square, the Hyatt Regency Denver Convention Center Hotel, The Westin Charlotte Convention Hotel, the Sacramento Sheraton Grand Hotel and the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel. The Phelps Portman team has completed more than 30 LEED certified projects and the Music City Center hotel also will be eco-oriented.
June 2, 2009
The Metro Council passed the Music City Center land acquisition legislation Tuesday night with a 28-6 vote. The approved legislation allocates $75 million to the Metropolitan Housing and Development Agency to begin purchasing the 16 acres of land in the footprint for the new convention center. The $75 million for land acquisition will come from tourism taxes and fees approved by Council last year.
April 13, 2009
Mayor Karl Dean delivered opening remarks during a special presentation to the Metro Council on the need to move forward with the next stage of the Music City Center project. Seab Tuck of Tuck Hinton Architects walked through new renderings and a video of the Music City Center design for the Council and standing-room-only audience. Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling and Phil Ryan, MDHA executive director, also presented information on convention industry trends and bookings, financing for the center, and preliminary schedule for the consideration of the Metro Council. To view all of the design renderings, visit the Design page in the About Us section of the site.
February 10, 2009
A standing-room-only crowd of more than 250 people gathered at the downtown public library for MDHA’s third DBE fair. The town hall setting gave representatives from diversity business enterprises a chance to learn more and ask questions about the Music City Center project. For more information about opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned and small-business enterprises, please visit the Diversity Business Enterprise page.
January 29, 2009
Mayor Karl Dean, Councilmen Mike Jameson, Walter Hunt and Parker Toler, and a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 Nashvillians were among the first to view architectural renderings of the Music City Center during the fourth public meeting on the proposed downtown convention center. Phil Ryan, executive director of MDHA, Seab Tuck of Tuck Hinton Architects, and Andy McLean of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates presented the preliminary design of the Music City Center. The design features a green roof, an abundance of natural light inside the center, flexible exhibit and meeting space, and interactive streetscapes on all four sides of the building. Please visit the Design page to view the preliminary design.
October 23, 2008
The proposed building layout for the Music City Center was revealed at MDHA’s third public meeting. The design team discussed the latest plans for the new convention center with a crowd of about 100 people gathered at the current Nashville Convention Center. To read more about the Vision Plan and to see slides from the public meetings, please visit our Vision Plan Overview page. The Civic Design Center will also be posting notes from the group discussion on its Web site; check back here for that link.
September 30, 2008
An overflow crowd packed the large meeting room at Nashville’s Adventure Science Center to hear designers lay out a vision for how the proposed new downtown convention center site could look in just a few years. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency hosted the event along with the Civic Design Center. A summary of the group discussion is available on the Civic Design Center Web site.
August 14, 2008
MDHA hosted the first public meeting on the proposed downtown convention center, with citizens voicing hope that the center will function in harmony with area roads, neighbors and businesses. The meeting, held at the Avon Williams Downtown Campus of Tennessee State University, gave Nashvillians their first opportunity to add input to the plans for the proposed downtown convention center as well as an in-depth look at the details surrounding the construction of the center.
A summary of the group discussion is available on the Civic Design Center Web site.
July 29, 2008
The first Music City Center Contractors Fair was held at the Adventure Science Center to provide opportunities for Tennessee diversity business enterprises to meet with the construction management, architectural and engineering services firms that have been selected to provide design and construction services for the new Nashville convention center. To learn more about MDHA’s efforts in increasing the participation of minority, women and small-business enterprises in all aspects of the new convention center project, please visit the Diversity Business Enterprise page.
July 4, 2008
Core drilling to determine the geophysical makeup of land earmarked for the Music City Center is complete. A total of 20 holes measuring 6 inches across were drilled during the soil and rock testing. Each hole was filled after the testing and the surface repaired.
July 1, 2008
MDHA introduced to the Metro Council’s Convention and Tourism Committee the companies selected to develop the Music City Center. Learn more about all of the contracted firms by visiting The Teams page.
February 5, 2008
By a unanimous voice vote, Metro Council approved MDHA to move forward with predevelopment activities so that a design and a budget could be created.
September 20, 2007
Mayor-elect Karl Dean asked MDHA to put together a plan for moving forward with the proposed new convention center.
