A plan to expand the footprint of Middle Tennessee's largest food bank is making progress after initially being announced in late 2024.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is planning a 200,000-square-foot facility at a 23.6-acre property at 1301 Donelson Pike near Nashville's airport. The nonprofit organization purchased the land about two years ago for $7 million. The new facility will be twice the size of the organization's warehouse in MetroCenter.
Details about the project were shared at the Industrial Development Board meeting on Sept. 9, when board members heard an update on the plans to use a city-issued revenue bond to help finance the project at a favorable interest rate for Second Harvest.
Board members approved the plan to
issue up to $95 million in revenue bonds for the project.
Revenue bonds are municipal bonds funded through income generated by specific projects, like toll roads and public facilities. They differ from general obligation bonds, which are funded by tax revenues.
The bond is classified as conduit debt, issued by the Industrial Development Board and paid back by Second Harvest. Since investors purchase the tax-exempt bond, the nonprofit pays the debt back with a lower interest rate than other types of financing.
Leaders for the food bank told board members that the new facility could be complete by late 2027 and that they intend to move their operations by January 2028. The plan is to eventually sell the old building.
For now, Second Harvest has received grading permits for the new site and has begun clearing land and preparing the site for full-blown construction work.
A spokesperson for Second Harvest did not respond to requests for comment from The Tennesseean about the current state of the project or the Industrial Development Board's Sept. 9 vote.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Second Harvest on track to open new food bank facility by January 2028
