building that’s been converted into a Smoothie King and Jersey Mike’s.” The town center concept focuses on the City’s geographic heart around City Hall, where East Ridge is investing heavily in community amenities. Mayor Williams explains the strategy: “We’re trying to build a town center concept in the center of town. We’ve got a community center receiving $1.2 million worth of upgrades and enhancements.” The centerpiece is the $6 million Venue 1921, a 12,000-square-foot pavilion with 7,000 square feet of open space featuring no poles or columns.“We’ll be able to accommodate dinners up to 500,” Miller notes, describing the facility’s six garage doors on the north and south side of the building that open to create indoor-outdoor flow. The retired McBrien school adds future potential with its 55,000 square feet available for business incubation, arts venues, or expanded municipal services, completing the comprehensive town center vision. STRATEGIC BUSINESS INCENTIVES East Ridge’s competitive advantage stems from Tennessee’s Border Region Retail Tourism Development District Act. Mayor Williams explains the act’s mechanics: “We have been utilizing a piece of legislation that came out of the state called Border Regions, and it is a tax incentive on the sales tax collection. A portion of the state sales tax is used to incentivize business to come and develop in our city.” Under the program, businesses can submit all development costs; from property purchase and demolition through construction as qualifying expenses. Once operational, 75 percent of the state sales tax portion gets allocated back to reimburse those expenses over a 20-year period. The return on investment proves substantial for developers. “They’re getting, in some cases, 50 percent of their expenses reimbursed over a 20-year period. This pays out through 2047,” Mayor Williams notes. Miller confirms the program’s success: “We have about 22 development agreements to date, J. Scott Miller, City Manager 168 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09
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