Hendersonville to start discussions on potential convention center project
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Hendersonville might get its first convention center.
A local nonprofit, Forward Sumner, is leading the push to build the center off Vietnam Veterans Boulevard, and they’re looking for the community’s feedback.
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Right now, there is no real plan in place. There’s no set location in mind, no developer and no city approval.
The convention center is just an idea, one that city and business leaders believe could be a massive benefit to their growing community.
“The idea came about because, obviously, [our] proximity to Nashville,” Forward Sumner President and CEO Chris Taylor said. “There’s a huge draw for businesses to come to this area for conventions.”
“The problem is there’s no convention [centers] outside of Rutherford County and Franklin around the mid state area. So you got a ton of people wanting to come here, not pay the Nashville price, so there’s been a demand for this for years,” Taylor continued.
Taylor doesn’t see a downside to Hendersonville building a convention center, assuming they go about it properly.
That process will begin on July 7 when his organization will host a community meeting from their Gallatin office, allowing residents to share their initial thoughts.
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“What’s important? What do we want to gain from it? Because the idea is, we want to leverage this in a way that it benefits the community,” Taylor said. “I want the negative. It’s not all sunshine and roses. There’s going to be some negative, so we want to be sure we address that ahead of time.”
A likely talking point for residents will be the proposed location for the center: somewhere in the open green space along Stop 30 Road and Indian Lake Boulevard, where traffic is already not great.
“You can make use of the two intersections you got,” Taylor said. “You don’t want to add lights; you don’t want to make traffic worse or complicate it. So instead, how do we create another thoroughfare?”
The answer to that question, according to Taylor, is the fact a project of this scope would likely require a developer to improve the surrounding infrastructure.
Ultimately, it will take a state grant, comprehensive studies and approval from Hendersonville’s Mayor and Board of Aldermen. It may never actually move forward.
But not building a convention center would be a missed opportunity in Taylor’s eyes.
“There’s a lot of things in Sumner County that would be a big draw, but that we don’t leverage right,” Taylor said. “The economic boom is right there. It’s a perfect idea. You want people to come spend money and then not use any of your resources.”
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Multiple Hendersonville aldermen are spreading the word of the upcoming meeting across social media. That includes alderman Rachel Collins, who told News that a convention center is both “important” and “needed.” She did share skepticism for its proposed location.
Collins encouraged residents to stop by on July 7. The meeting will go from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 1598 GreenLea Blvd.
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