Last year, Levine Investments was the winning bidder,
with a $5.45 million offer, for the then-Metro-owned property. Located
at 350 21st Ave. N., the property spans 1.6 acres (see here courtesy of Google Maps) and was once home to a Nashville Fire Department station.
Andrew
Cohn, a Levine Investments representative, said the company will
co-develop the site with Fargo, North Dakota-based Tharaldson Companies.
Billionaire Gary Tharaldson established the company in 1982 with the
purchase of a Super 8 Motel in Valley City, North Dakota.
In March
2006, the Tharaldson Family sold 130 hotels to the Whitehall Real
Estate Fund (a division of Goldman Sachs) for $1.2 billion in cash.
“We
respect Gary and his execution of successful hotel projects — along
with sharing his vision of long-term ownership,” Cohn said.
If
operational today, the hotel would be the only Staybridge in Davidson
County. Unrelatedly, InterContinental Hotels Group is targeting a 2017
groundbreaking on a Gulch-area site for a Staybridge Suites at 1212
McGavock St. (Read more here.) The
next step in the process involves the Metro Water Department’s request
for approval of the abandonment of a sewer main related to easements, a
move that will allow accommodation of the hotel building. A May 11 Metro
Planning Commission date is slated.
“We remain excited to get
through all the entitlements,” Cohn said. “We have a high regard for the
Midtown market and for the services that the Staybridge brand offers.”
Cohn said the company is not ready to release a rendering of the hotel building. He added funding is in place.
Levine Investments deploys an understated approach. For example, the company does not offer a website showcasing its portfolio.
Cohn
said the company has undertaken developments geographically ranging
from Albany, New York, in the East to Carlsbad, California, in the West.
The Midtown property would represent Levine Investment’s first foray
into Nashville.
The company has developed multiple Staybridge Suites Hotel projects, he said.
By Vic Tafur On Feb. 11, 2016, Raiders owner Mark Davis and Oakland city officials
got together at Oracle Arena and smiled in front of all the TV cameras.
They agreed to a one-year lease extension at the Coliseum and pledged
to work together to build a permanent facility for the football team. They haven’t met since. And now Davis, frustrated at the lack of progress toward getting a
new stadium in Oakland and city officials’ vows not to spend taxpayer
money to get one, is locked in on a move to Las Vegas.
NFL owners are set to vote on the team’s possible relocation
Monday or Tuesday at their meeting in Phoenix. Davis needs 24 of 32
owners to vote “yes,” though contingencies attached to a vote could push
the final approval back to May, during the next owners’ meeting. League sources expect the move — which wouldn’t happen until 2020 —
to be approved. While the Raiders are confident enough that they were
planning a news conference near the University of Nevada Las Vegas
campus Wednesday, those plans could be scrapped due to the possible
contingencies. “Oakland is not really viewed as an alternative at this point,” one league executive said. “There’s nothing new on that end.”
Photo: Scott Anger, AP
A
move to Las Vegas would mark the second time the Raiders have left
Oakland. Stadium issues also led Al Davis, Mark’s late father, to take
the team to Los Angeles in 1982 and — when similar issues surfaced there
— back to Oakland in 1995. At the heart of the matter is Davis’ unhappiness with the
outdated Coliseum. Not only does the facility have the smallest seating
capacity in the NFL (53,286 since the team tarps off the third-deck
seats), but the Raiders share it with the A’s, making it the only
stadium in the country that still hosts both NFL and MLB games. For their part, Oakland officials are not willing to make the public open its wallets to appease Davis. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf released a letter Friday that she sent to
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in which Fortress Investment Group — a
San Francisco money management firm with more than $69 billion in assets
— is offering a $600 million loan to help build a stadium in Oakland. Goodell wrote Schaaf back Friday and, in the letter obtained by the
Bay Area News Group, said the latest proposal is not “clear and specific
(or) actionable in a reasonable time frame.” One league executive
wondered why the Fortress loan hadn’t been mentioned when Schaaf met
with the NFL’s stadium and finance committees in Florida two weeks ago.
Another characterized the letter as an attempt by Schaaf “to save face.” NFL representatives and executives requested anonymity because the
issue is officially unresolved and the league doesn’t want to be seen as
trying to influence the decision. The issue of using tax money to finance a stadium has always been a nonstarter for Schaaf. “I am willing to lose this team if the public money is the issue,”
Schaaf told reporters last month, adding that Oakland residents are mad
that tax money is still being used to pay for luring the Raiders back
from Los Angeles in 1995. Even if owners approve a move, the Raiders would play at the Coliseum
for two more seasons while a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium is
built for them in Las Vegas. The facility, which the Raiders would
share with UNLV, would be west of Interstate 15 and the Mandalay Bay
Resort and Casino on a 62-acre plot on Russell Road. Bank of America has pledged to co-finance the project, with the
Raiders and NFL offering $500 million and the remaining $750 million
coming from a Clark County hotel room tax. Where the Raiders might play in 2019 is unknown. It’s unlikely that
another one-year lease at the Coliseum would be worked out and UNLV’s
existing 35,500-seat Sam Boyd Stadium is not an option at this point. A
possibility that will be discussed next week, according to sources, is
the Raiders sharing Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara with the 49ers — an
idea Davis has rejected as a permanent solution.
But providing public financing is not the only thing Schaaf could have done, league executives say. While Davis has not met with Oakland officials in the past year, NFL
Executive Vice President Eric Grubman has. He doesn’t like either of
Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and the Fortress Group’s two proposals for a
$1.3 billion Oakland stadium for the same reasons he didn’t like it when
San Diego developer Floyd Kephart was leading the local effort two
years ago. “We’ve repeatedly told the city not to put a real estate developer
between the Raiders and the city,” Grubman said. “And the latest
proposals are too similar to the agreement with Kephart.” League sources said the NFL has discussed being the developer of an
Oakland stadium, but that Schaaf wouldn’t hand over the land. “Bringing in a third party that needs to profit from the project may
not be in the best interests of the city or the Raiders,” Grubman said. Another key issue in the stadium talks has been the presence of the
A’s. The baseball team’s lease at the Coliseum expires in 2023, and the
city won’t give the NFL assurances it would terminate it . The Raiders and A’s have never been able to agree on a division of
the plot of land they share between 66th Avenue and Hegenberger Road
adjacent to Interstate 880. And the sense among Raiders’ executives is
that Schaaf has decided to go with 82 A’s home games instead of 10 for
the Raiders. “They went with the A’s, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” one Raiders official said. In her letter Friday, Schaaf called the NFL’s request that the A’s rights to the Coliseum be truncated “problematic.” For their part, Raiders fans have not given up on the team. The
Coliseum routinely sells out and the season-ticket waiting list is more
than 20,000 names long.
“The Raiders plan to abandon Oakland again, and the NFL has to stop
this parade of relocations,” said Jim Zelinski, co-founder of Save
Oakland Sports, whose group has started a nationwide petition.
“The
league’s ad campaign is ‘Football is Family’ and Oakland fans treat the
Raiders like family. And the NFL shouldn’t break that up.” But despite the efforts of Lott’s group and fan interest, the league
is clearly tilting toward Las Vegas.
Raiders president Marc Badain met
with Clark County, Nev., Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak for three
hours Wednesday. The Raiders have yet to purchase land in Las Vegas (their option to
do so runs out soon) and there is no lease agreement with the Las Vegas
Stadium Authority board. But Sisolak said team executives answered a lot
of the league’s stadium and finance committees’ questions two weeks ago
in Florida. “The
lease agreement is in progress,” Sisolak said. “They have an option to
buy the land, which they will do if and when there is a relocation vote.
And I think concerns about how they will service the debt were also
addressed to everyone’s comfort.” The league can actually help with servicing the debt. Some owners
have suggested appointing Los Angeles billionaire and real estate tycoon
Ed Roski as the project overseer. If the Raiders’ move is approved, it would mark the third time in 26
months that the NFL has supported a franchise move. The first two — the
St. Louis Rams (in January 2016) and San Diego Chargers (two months ago)
— both involved teams moving to Los Angeles, the second-largest market
in the country. L.A. had been without an NFL team since 1995 when the
Rams and the Raiders left town.
Why is the NFL moving on the Las Vegas proposal now? The major reason is the $750 million in public money the deal includes. When Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson pulled out of the deal
with the Raiders in January, there was concern that the Nevada
Legislature might redirect that hotel room tax money for other purposes.
That’s when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones helped the Raiders reach a
deal with Bank of America to replace Adelson, according to sources
familiar with the negotiations. His fellow owners saw Davis as a good soldier last year when the Rams
were given the keys to Los Angeles. Davis and Chargers owner Dean
Spanos were partners on a proposed stadium in Carson that was seen as
the favorite going into league meetings. But with Jones’ help, Rams’
owner Stan Kroenke turned the vote around. Spanos was given the option
of joining him in Inglewood this year, which he accepted. Davis, who has been building support from owners for years, didn’t
complain — a far cry from his father, Al, who sued his fellow owners for
the right to move to Los Angeles in 1982. Sources say the the NFL is
expected to seek a relocation fee of only up to $375 million from the
team; the Rams and Chargers were each charged $650 million. Davis’ fellow owners are excited about the abundant tourist money in
Las Vegas, and the NFL’s longtime concerns about gambling ties have all
but vanished. While they are not thrilled by a move to the nation’s
40th-largest TV market, Davis has assured them that Oakland and Los
Angeles fans will fly in for games — and they believe him. “Plus, the Raiders are winning now,” one league executive said. “Fans
will still go to the home games in Oakland the next two years and then
wherever. “Winning solves everything.” That, and a record amount of public money for a new stadium. Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur
In
this Oct. 17, 1986 file photo, Chuck Berry performs during a concert
celebration for his 60th birthday at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Mo. James A. Finley / AP
byKalhan Rosenblatt
Revolutionary blues singer Chuck Berry, often
referred to as the "poet laureate" and "father" of rock 'n' roll, died
Saturday, police in Missouri said. He was 90.
Officers responded to Berry's home outside St.
Louis on Saturday afternoon and found him unconscious, the St. Charles
County police said on Facebook. First responders were unsuccessful in
reviving him and pronounced him dead at 1:26 p.m. local time.
One of the first inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,
Berry wove together beguiling narratives, fusing rhythm and blues with
country and western — transfixing the nation.
Ted Nugent's amazing tribute to the legendary Chuck Berry.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton called Berry "one of the 20th Century's most influential musicians." Known for chart-toppers such as "Johnny B
Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," Berry's
career rocketed in the 1950s after signing a record deal with Chess
Records at the behest of musician Muddy Waters, according to Rolling Stone.
In
this Oct. 17, 1986 file photo, Chuck Berry performs during a concert
celebration for his 60th birthday at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Mo. James A. Finley / AP
His first hit, "Maybellene," spent nine weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard
R&B chart and also rose to No. 5 on the pop charts. Berry reshaped
the 1950s with a unique sound that appealed to both sides of a racially
divided country.
"I made records for people who would buy them.
No color, no ethnic, no political — I don't want that, never did,"
Berry told the New York Times in 2003.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said in a statement Saturday that Berry "created the rock sound."
"Chuck Berry is rock and roll. The undisputed
original poet laureate, he influenced every rock and roll artist after
him and every guitarist that ever plugged in," hall of fame President
and CEO Greg Harris said in a statement.
"Today, we celebrate his poetry, his artistry
and his massive contributions to 20th century culture," Harris said.
It's fitting that he was the first person inducted into the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame. Rock and roll as we know it would not exist without
him. Hail Hail, Rock and Roll. Hail Hail, Chuck Berry."
Many of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll have cited Berry as an inspiration thanks to his earworm tunes.
John Lennon once said: "If you had tried to try and give rock 'n' roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck 'Berry.'"
The Twitter account run by Lennon's estate was
among those paying tribute to the legendary musician Saturday. Beatles
drummer Ringo Starr also expressed his condolences: "R I P. And peace
and love Chuck Berry Mr. rock 'n' roll music."
Leonard Cohen believed, "all of us are
footnotes to the words of Chuck Berry," while Bob Dylan dubbed him the
"Shakespeare of rock 'n' roll," Peter Guralnick recalled in Rolling Stone in October 2016.
Berry's signature duck walk was adopted by the likes of admiring bands such as The Who and AC/DC.
Despite mesmerizing the country with his
infectious hooks and rhythm, he was temporarily pulled from the
spotlight in 1959 when he was arrested for violating the Mann Act by
driving an underage girl across state lines from Texas to his native
Missouri, according to Biography.com. He spent two years in federal prison.
Chuck Berry performs at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on Dec. 31, 2011 in New York City. Bobby Bank / WireImage
As a teenager, Berry — born Charles Anderson
Edward Berry to Martha and Henry Berry in St. Louis — was convicted of
an armed robbery and spent 1944 to 1947 in reform school.
After his release, Berry worked an assembly
line and studied cosmetology, before finding his place in American
history with a guitar in his hands and a captain's hat on his head.
Later in life, Berry would serve another
prison stint after running into trouble with the Internal Revenue
Service, Rolling Stone reported.
But he would always return to the stage, even as he aged, playing shows into his mid-80s.
On his 90th birthday, Berry announced he was
releasing his first LP in 38 years, slated to hit stores this year. He
dedicated the album to his wife of 68 years, Themetta "Toddy" Berry,
whom he is survived by.
Andrew
Cohn, a Levine Investments representative, said the company will
co-develop the site with Fargo, North Dakota-based Tharaldson Companies.
Billionaire Gary Tharaldson established the company in 1982 with the
purchase of a Super 8 Motel in Valley City, North Dakota.
Cohn said the company is not ready to release a rendering of the hotel building. He added funding is in place.
