Antioch’s Global Mall at the Crossings — formally known as Hickory Hollow Mall — could be getting a makeover courtesy of Metro Nashville and a local health care giant.

Mayor John Cooper announced yesterday that Metro has signed a letter of intent with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to negotiate a long-term lease for a 600,000 sqft health care facility.

What does that mean? If all goes according to plan, the Southeast Nashville property will be transformed into a space for “health care related services” similar to Vanderbilt’s One Hundred Oaks.

Mayor Cooper and Council Member Joy Styles plan to file legislation with Metro Council allowing the city to purchase the two separate properties for a combined $44 million.

The first property is the former mall consisting of 650,000 sqft of rentable space.
The second is an office building consisting of 160,000 sqft of rentable space.
Metro Nashville will acquire the former mall site for $24 million and the office building for $20 million.

Why this location? Aside from the property remaining largely vacant for the past decade, Southeast Nashville has been the focus of recent city projects and investments. Metro plans to build a new police precinct in the area + a new city park off Tusculum Road.

What’s next? The proposal must first be approved by Metro Council, though it’s not clear when it will hit the agenda + where the funds will come from. According to Mayor Cooper, the partnership with VUMC represents the first phase of the project, focusing on increasing access to health care services and jobs.

The second phase will be guided by an “extensive community planning process” and could include space dedicated to childcare, after-school youth programming, and small business development opportunities.