CMA planning retirement community

NASHVILLE, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A non-profit retirement community for members of the music industry is being planned in Franklin, Tenn., the Country Music Association said.

The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reported construction on the proposed $95 million senior living project, which would serve musicians, singers and songwriters with limited financial resources, could begin in 2011.

The CMA has joined with two development firms to build the project, for which the non-profit Country Music Retirement Community has been raising money for years.

The community is being modeled after one operated by the Motion Picture Television Fund in Los Angeles, which provides amenities appropriate for veterans of that industry, such as a movie theater and video libraries.

The music retirement community may feature recording studios, performance halls and an amphitheater, The Tennessean said.

"This is historic in that there's not another senior living center owned by the music industry," Katie Gillon, executive director of the Country Music Retirement Community, told the newspaper. "Anybody who's made a living in music could live here. They can still share stories about Music Row. They can still tinker in the studio or have live music performances on site."