Oracle, 60 acres at River North, 1,200,000 sq. ft. of space, $1.2B Investment, 8,500 jobs

[nashvylle]

Does the plan need just majority approval, or 21 votes?

[smeagolsfree]

When you have sensitive negotiations going on, every, Ton Dick & Mary cannot be involved in the conversation referring to the Tequila person on the IDB. Here is the deal. This is as much about the State as it is about Metro and some of these negotiations are sensitive in nature and have to be kept private. Folks like this will not keep their trap shut and this was already one of the worse kept secrets in Metro history. Here is what she needs to know. These are good paying jobs, get a education so you can get a job working there. If you do not have the education they are not going to hire you no matter if you are from here or Milwaukee or if your are Green, Purple or Blue.

The activist think that they have to be included in everything. Well they don’t This person and their group are activist. IMO. They may be well meaning, but you can’t change every agreement because you were not included in the conversation......Too Bad.

Oracle has probably already made concessions and they are a very socially responsible company, so if they do not want a socially responsible company like oracle to be here then it is their loss at it would more than likely be a friend to them than a foe.

[WebberThomas4]

14 minutes ago, downtownresident said:

On to Metro Council. Hopefully they don’t mess it up.  

That’s gonna be one long meeting. 

[downtownresident]

6 minutes ago, WebberThomas4 said:

That’s gonna be one long meeting. 

It won’t be a public meeting, but I know that all council members are going to debate the issue to death. 

[markhollin]

Both the impact plan and project agreement passed Metro Nashville's Industrial Development Board meeting on today with 7-2 votes on each count.

More behind the NashvillePost paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/industrial-development-board-oks-oracle-plan/article_92b8517e-a791-11eb-bcba-a31d55911764.html

[DDIG]

19 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

When you have sensitive negotiations going on, every, Ton Dick & Mary cannot be involved in the conversation referring to the Tequila person on the IDB. Here is the deal. This is as much about the State as it is about Metro and some of these negotiations are sensitive in nature and have to be kept private. Folks like this will not keep their trap shut and this was already one of the worse kept secrets in Metro history. Here is what she needs to know. These are good paying jobs, get a education so you can get a job working there. If you do not have the education they are not going to hire you no matter if you are from here or Milwaukee or if your are Green, Purple or Blue.

The activist think that they have to be included in everything. Well they don’t This person and their group are activist. IMO. They may be well meaning, but you can’t change every agreement because you were not included in the conversation......Too Bad.

Oracle has probably already made concessions and they are a very socially responsible company, so if they do not want a socially responsible company like oracle to be here then it is their loss at it would more than likely be a friend to them than a foe.

Bingo. You also can't negotiate in public because you are usually competing with other cities on these incentive deals.

They kept asking how many of these jobs will be filled by locals. First of all, you aren't looking at full delivery of these jobs for ten years. Second, you can't just staff an Oracle locally for the fun of it. They are seeking a very specific type of highly skilled work force. The type we should want to attract to our city.

Edited April 27, 2021 by DDIG

[titanhog]

From The Tennessean: 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/27/nashville-oracle-agreement-heads-metro-council-final-approval/7391673002/

The company relocated its Silicon Valley headquarters to Austin last year and plans to open a 65-acre campus nearly identical to the Texas facility in Nashville. 

Construction could begin as soon as June. 

"Oracle will start a detailed design process for the site" if it’s approved by Metro Council, said Oracle representative Jim Murphy. "That will really flush out what the infrastructure is going to look like – road width, bike lanes, greenways and parks."

The company would receive a 25-year, 50% property tax discount in exchange for its up-front investment in streets, parks, greenways, a pedestrian bridge from the project to Germantown and an expanded sewer system. 

State leaders said they will deliver a robust incentive deal to Oracle, but haven't yet announced the value of the grants. 

"This is a unique and transformational project," said Bob Rolfe, the state's Economic and Community Development Department director. "I want us to make sure we're thoughtful. It's not Oracle's responsibility to solve every problem for our city. We've tried to recruit not only one of the greatest global brands but a great company."

 

Opponents, including labor representatives, argued approvals are moving too quickly and without enough scrutiny.

"No one really explained how this incentive is valued and why this infrastructure is being added onto this deal," said opposing board member Tequila Johnson. "Who's to say Metro Nashville couldn't develop itself without having to reimburse Oracle? 

"How is Oracle going to ensure small black-owned businesses aren’t overrun?"

Oracle Director of Diversity and Inclusion Traci Wade said she's leading an aggressive effort to diversify the company's workforce and to be more inclusive overall. 

Company officials also discussed their commitment to community volunteer work and partnerships with local schools and universities for education and hiring efforts. 

"The other companies we recruited in the past have been wonderful, but this development is on another order of magnitude,” resident Chris Shelley said during the public hearing. “It affords area residents jobs. The spinoff effects are equally exciting along Dickerson Pike. I hope we can make this happen.”

'Vulnerable residents are displaced' 

Dozens of residents joined labor representatives and affordable housing advocates to ask the board to stall, arguing Nashville's culture is being stifled by rapid growth.

"Nashville brands itself as a creative city but I feel city leaders prioritize money over helping artists," Todd Valentine said. "Our city leaders continue to stand by while our poorest and most vulnerable residents are displaced."

Concerns concentrated around low-income longtime Black residents being pushed out by fast-rising housing costs. Also, opponents said Oracle should have already committed to hire a significant percentage of local Black businesses and workers. 

Cooper promised to dedicate new property tax income to Metro from Oracle to improving schools and build new affordable housing units through the Barnes Fund. 

"The overwhelming concern in the community is around affordable housing," Councilman Sean Parker said. "(The mayor promised) to maybe add $5 million to the Barnes Fund. That's not going to offset the impact to affordability in the urban core."

Supporters countered that it's the largest single affordable-housing investment coming from one company in Metro history.

"Once Metro gets the revenue it’s up to Metro to devote those funds to affordable housing," said supporting board member Nigel Hodge. "I just think that’s something we should not put on companies to solve and we should hold our leaders accountable."

Board member Quin Segall, who also voted in favor, said she's confident in Oracle.

"Certainly we are having growing pains and we’re really going to have to talk those through as a city," Segall said. "Companies show us who they are just like people and Oracle has a much better track record than a lot of companies."

 

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

Here is the resolution for the Cleveland and Grace street extension project from Development Tracker.

Application Submittal	4/23/2021
MPC Agenda Date	6/10/2021
Administrative Approval
Case #	2021M-016AG-001
Ordinance #
Previous Ordinance #'s
Associated Case #
Associated Bond #
Reviewer	FRONT COUNTER
Application Name	CLEVELAND STREET RESOLTION
Application Type	Mandatory Referral Agreement
Application Scope	A request for resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement by and between the State of Tennessee, Department of Transportation and The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, for Cleveland Street Extension and Bike/Pedestrian Connectivity from East Nashville to River North Development, Agreement #210064; PIN 131513.00; Federal Project# Pending; State Project #Pending (Prop. No. 2021M-016AG-001).
Scanned Application	View Scanned Application
Scanned Plans	View Scanned Plan
Property Address / Location	815 COWAN ST 37207

[downtownresident]

6 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Here is the resolution for the Cleveland and Grace street extension project from Development Tracker.

Application Submittal	4/23/2021
MPC Agenda Date	6/10/2021
Administrative Approval
Case #	2021M-016AG-001
Ordinance #
Previous Ordinance #'s
Associated Case #
Associated Bond #
Reviewer	FRONT COUNTER
Application Name	CLEVELAND STREET RESOLTION
Application Type	Mandatory Referral Agreement
Application Scope	A request for resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement by and between the State of Tennessee, Department of Transportation and The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, for Cleveland Street Extension and Bike/Pedestrian Connectivity from East Nashville to River North Development, Agreement #210064; PIN 131513.00; Federal Project# Pending; State Project #Pending (Prop. No. 2021M-016AG-001).
Scanned Application	View Scanned Application
Scanned Plans	View Scanned Plan
Property Address / Location	815 COWAN ST 37207

Read through the resolution, Metro’s portion will be coming out of the remainder of the River North infrastructure funds. 

[Armacing]

16 hours ago, titanhog said:

"No one really explained how this incentive is valued and why this infrastructure is being added onto this deal," said opposing board member Tequila Johnson. "Who's to say Metro Nashville couldn't develop itself without having to reimburse Oracle? 

"How is Oracle going to ensure small black-owned businesses aren’t overrun?"

Dozens of residents joined labor representatives and affordable housing advocates to ask the board to stall, arguing Nashville's culture is being stifled by rapid growth.

"Nashville brands itself as a creative city but I feel city leaders prioritize money over helping artists," Todd Valentine said. "Our city leaders continue to stand by while our poorest and most vulnerable residents are displaced."

Concerns concentrated around low-income longtime Black residents being pushed out by fast-rising housing costs. Also, opponents said Oracle should have already committed to hire a significant percentage of local Black businesses and workers. 

"The overwhelming concern in the community is around affordable housing," Councilman Sean Parker said. "(The mayor promised) to maybe add $5 million to the Barnes Fund. That's not going to offset the impact to affordability in the urban core."

Cool Springs is starting to look a lot more attractive to Oracle right about now.  Part of me hopes the council rejects it just so Nashvillians can learn a valuable lesson about what problems are the government's responsibility and which ones are corporate responsibilities.  The lack of affordable housing is 100% Metro Government's fault,  yet somehow these unfortunate people have been mislead into thinking it is the fault of newly arrived companies and residents.

[nashvylle]

17 minutes ago, Armacing said:

Cool Springs is starting to look a lot more attractive to Oracle right about now.  Part of me hopes the council rejects it just so Nashvillians can learn a valuable lesson about what problems are the government's responsibility and which ones are corporate responsibilities.  The lack of affordable housing is 100% Metro Government's fault,  yet somehow these unfortunate people have been mislead into thinking it is the fault of newly arrived companies and residents.

It would be very helpful for the mayor's office to list all the jobs associated with real estate that will need laborers... contractors need people to install sheetrock as the simplest form of a job, and a long term plan would be to see what is needed to become a plumber, and long-term a HVAC/Electrician. 

[downtownresident]

16 minutes ago, Armacing said:

Cool Springs is starting to look a lot more attractive to Oracle right about now.  Part of me hopes the council rejects it just so Nashvillians can learn a valuable lesson about what problems are the government's responsibility and which ones are corporate responsibilities.  The lack of affordable housing is 100% Metro Government's fault,  yet somehow these unfortunate people have been mislead into thinking it is the fault of newly arrived companies and residents.

This will likely pass after each Metro council member spends their allotted time grandstanding about these issues. I am afraid that Davidson Co is heading down a road of hostility toward business and development in general. 

[samsonh]

Guys, this is 100% passing

[Luvemtall]

9 minutes ago, samsonh said:

Guys, this is 100% passing

Do you know something the rest of us don’t? Are all these council meetings ... etc all just a formality and this is already a done deal?

[DDIG]

9 minutes ago, downtownresident said:

This will likely pass after each Metro council member spends their allotted time grandstanding about these issues. I am afraid that Davidson Co is heading down a road of hostility toward business and development in general. 

Agreed. Will go down exactly as you describe it.

[LA_TN]

20 minutes ago, downtownresident said:

This will likely pass after each Metro council member spends their allotted time grandstanding about these issues. I am afraid that Davidson Co is heading down a road of hostility toward business and development in general. 

Exactly

[samsonh]

40 minutes ago, Luvemtall said:

Do you know something the rest of us don’t? Are all these council meetings ... etc all just a formality and this is already a done deal?

The politics of every council member is pretty well known, or you can check their social media presence. Progressives and conservatives are both for this. Activists are raising a stink trying to get funds. This proposal is clearly a win for everyone involved and has strong city and state backing. It will not fail. 

[downtownresident]

I grabbed this screenshot from Oracle’s presentation to the IDB. This is the draft concept for their campus at full build out: 

 

[MLBrumby]

Looks like a total of 14 buildings?  Not sure what the different colors imply, but I'm guessing different phases.  A total of 12 at full build-out!  Four in the first phase (brown) four in the second (gray) phase, then four in the third (tan) phase.  Am I reading that correctly? 

[smeagolsfree]

1 hour ago, downtownresident said:

I grabbed this screenshot from Oracle’s presentation to the IDB. This is the draft concept for their campus at full build out: 

 

I am glad you grabbed it because I was about to watch the presentation again on my computer instead of the TV and fast forward to this point.  Thanks!

[MLBrumby]

I would hope part of the infrastructure is to improve the connection of Cowan/Vashti streets under I-65 at the Cumberland River bridge with a major thoroughfare connection to Baptist World Center Drive or even Trinity Lane north of the river.  Right now it's very sketchy through there... and I've only gone through once (by mistake).  

Edited April 29, 2021 by MLBrumby

[downtownresident]

6 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

I would hope part of the infrastructure is to improve the connection of Cowan/Vashti streets under I-65 at the Cumberland River bridge with a major thoroughfare connection to Baptist World Center Drive or even Trinity Lane north of the river.  Right now it's very sketchy through there... and I've only gone through once (by mistake).  

I imagine that won't be part of the initial round of infrastructure, but the city should definitely consider upgrading Cowan/Vashti street and extending the improvements along Baptist World Center Drive to Trinity Lane. Could definitely spur more housing development that way and clean up that area. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by downtownresident
clarification

[MidTenn1]

Getting an  Oracle Hub is a game changer and one of the biggest moments in Nashville's economic history. However.......I remember when the first proposal was announced, it included the building of movie studios. To me, this was the most intriguing part of the initial plan and I thought at the time that type of development would move Nashville's top 3 entertainment industry into another league.

The Oracle development is wonderful, but I would like to see someone invest heavily in the movie/tv filming infrastructure. Atlanta (for some reason) seems to be becoming the 'third coast' in movie and tv production. Nashville needs to step up soon or lose whatever opportunity is there.

[DDIG]

29 minutes ago, PHofKS said:

Getting an  Oracle Hub is a game changer and one of the biggest moments in Nashville's economic history. However.......I remember when the first proposal was announced, it included the building of movie studios. To me, this was the most intriguing part of the initial plan and I thought at the time that type of development would move Nashville's top 3 entertainment industry into another league.

The Oracle development is wonderful, but I would like to see someone invest heavily in the movie/tv filming infrastructure. Atlanta (for some reason) seems to be becoming the 'third coast' in movie and tv production. Nashville needs to step up soon or lose whatever opportunity is there.

Hollywood goes where the tax breaks are. Louisiana had the crown for a bit, then Georgia came out and completely out did them and took the industry. If Tennessee wanted film production it would take the legislature to pass massive tax breaks for productions that more than beat out what Georgia offers especially since they now have a bunch of film infrastructure there like Marvel's production hub.

Edited April 29, 2021 by DDIG

[Armacing]

2 hours ago, PHofKS said:

The Oracle development is wonderful, but I would like to see someone invest heavily in the movie/tv filming infrastructure. 

Didn't we all just learn during 2020 that the film industry is "Non-Essential"?  Tennessee needs more high-tech and manufacturing jobs.  The new car battery plant in Springhill is the most recent (and excellent) example of the kind of investment the state needs to encourage.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Armacing