Oracle broke ground Tuesday on its 78-acre East Bank campus, with first buildings due in 2030. Metro Council takes up a $77.6 million pump station deal Nov. 17.
Oracle held the groundbreaking Tuesday for its global headquarters on Nashville’s East Bank. The company plans a campus of about 78 acres in the River North area, and it expects the first buildings to open in 2030.
Oracle CEOs Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia were joined by Gov. Bill Lee, Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty. The company announced the ceremony in a news release on Nov. 10.
“Today’s groundbreaking is an important next step in our commitment to Nashville,” Magouyrk said.
“The development of Oracle’s campus will open up River North for Nashvillians, offering more ways to reach and enjoy the waterfront,” O’Connell said.
Oracle’s release did not give a total cost for the campus or a number of jobs. It said the company plans to create “thousands of high-quality jobs” and expects hiring to speed up over the next several years.
What Oracle says it will build
Oracle’s campus fact sheet lists:
| Site | About 78 acres |
| Buildings | 23 |
| Office space | 759,838 square feet |
| Retail spaces | 11 |
| Hotel | A 120-room Nobu hotel and restaurant |
| Public green space | 16.5 acres, including a 2-acre park |
| Greenway loop | 2.1 miles |
| Pedestrian bridge | About 860 feet, across the Cumberland River to Germantown |
| Trees | More than 1,900 |
| First buildings | Planned for occupancy by 2030 |
The campus also includes a six-acre lake, an amphitheater and walking paths, according to the fact sheet. Foster + Partners designed it, and Oracle is targeting LEED Gold certification across the whole site.
The public money and the tax deal
Oracle said its investment includes $175 million for public infrastructure. That covers the pedestrian bridge, a public park, greenways and street work, according to the release.
Oracle recovers that money from future property taxes on the site. The terms are in the economic impact plan Metro Council approved in May 2021 (resolution RS2021-908).
The plan works like this:
- Oracle pays up to $175 million for public infrastructure and cleanup of a former landfill on part of the site.
- Each year, half of the real property taxes on the plan area go to repaying Oracle, without interest.
- Repayment stops when Oracle has received $175 million or after 25 annual payments, the last for tax year 2045, whichever comes first.
- Metro keeps the other half, and all of the taxes after that.
The 2021 plan projected the campus would eventually generate about $17.9 million a year in Metro property taxes. When it approved the plan, the council added a statement of intent that half of the property taxes Metro receives from the site go to affordable housing, including the Barnes Fund.
The same plan recorded Oracle’s expected hiring at the time. It said the company anticipated about 2,500 jobs at an average annual wage of $110,000 by the end of 2027, and about 8,500 new full-time jobs by the end of 2031. Oracle’s release this week did not repeat those figures.
Next: a $77.6 million pump station before Metro Council
The campus needs a new sewage pump station, and Metro would pay most of it.
A participation agreement filed with Metro Council (resolution RS2026-2424) estimates the station and its lines will cost about $77,555,000. The station would also serve “a significant portion of East Nashville,” the agreement says.
The agreement says a pump station for the Oracle campus alone would cost about $12 million, and Oracle would pay that $12 million. Metro, through Metro Water Services, would pay the rest of the actual cost. On the estimate, that is about $65.6 million. Oracle would design and build the station, then hand it to Metro at no further charge.
Other terms in the agreement:
- The station must handle at least 36 million gallons a day, with room to add more.
- It must be finished by Sept. 30, 2029, with extensions allowed for delays outside Oracle’s control.
- Oracle’s campus would be exempt from any sewer cost-recovery charge Metro sets to recoup its share.
The Planning Commission approved the agreement Nov. 5. It is on the agenda for the Metro Council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Grants Oracle announced
The release listed money Oracle has given in Nashville:
- $1.55 million to Trinity Community Commons in East Nashville, to renovate its community hub and dining room
- $150,000 to 30 local nonprofits chosen by Oracle employees
- a $10 million partnership with the Nashville Symphony, which Oracle said let the symphony reinstate its 2026-27 season
What it means for you
Oracle is holding free events at 2141 Waterside Drive, at the campus site. The company’s event page asks visitors to register.
- Open houses: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, and Friday, Nov. 13. Oracle will show 3D models of the campus and take questions about jobs.
- Community Day: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, with live music, food trucks and children’s activities.
Admission, food and drinks are free, Oracle said.
If you live in East Nashville and have a view on the pump station deal, contact your council member before the Nov. 17 meeting. Members are listed on Metro Council’s website.
More on what is happening around town is on our things to do page.
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