Business View Civil & Municipal l November 2022

171 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 will bring in even more businesses to the area. HighPointe 24, as it’s called, will become home to some “major companies,” according to Broeker. “We are under an NDA so we cannot speak to who is coming, or at least interested in the area, but it is filling up quickly,” he says. “If we had more space, quite frankly, we could fill it up.” Not only is the city’s business count rising, but its population is also, too. Broeker estimates that La Vergne will continue its path of growth into the mid-60,000s, if not more, over the next decade. To help with the rise in population – and to generate more tax revenue to pay for it – La Vergne is turning its focus to adding new commercial projects to its city limits. “It’s important to us to develop that sales base so we can get the sales tax to grow, but grow in quality and grow to the standard that we’d like to enter in the future,” Broeker says. They’ve got numerous projects underway that will include grocery store anchors, grocery concept stores, sit-down restaurants, and other types of retail. Membership warehouse chain BJs Warehouse has already broken ground across from the aforementioned HighPointe 24. This will be the first BJs location in all of Tennessee. The city’s growth is being seen in housing, as well. La Vergne’s South Waldron area is seeing the most growth, with somewhere between nine and 11,000 homes being built. Even more commercial development will accompany those homes along Waldron Road. “You’re looking at your grocery stores, your neighborhood service,” says La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole. “And for residential development, we’re looking at a combination of properties being developed as a single-family – probably the bulk of it, and then you have some multi- family there as well. Our pricing starts at around $350, 000 and up for these new homes.” If it sounds like the city is moving at a rapid pace – it is, Broeker says. “I have worked in some capacity for the city since about 2010 and I can say now, this is the hottest we’ve ever been in terms of our growth,” Broeker exclaims. “We are a sought-after destination.” On top of its prime location, La Vergne has many other reasons that are attracting people and businesses to the city. For one, the median income is $20,000 higher than the state average, and then there’s the quality of life. “This is a great community,” Cole says. “We’ve got jobs, lakefront property and we’re nestled right in a good area here in Middle Tennessee. We have lots of opportunities and overall, the individual community itself, we all pull together and we have different activities and events. That really makes La Vergne, La Vergne.” On any given weekend you can find a host of events taking place across the city. Every fall LA VERGNE , TENNESSEE