TN Children’s Home Site Proposed for New Spring Hill Town Square

Representatives of the Tennessee Children’s Home presented the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Alderman (BOMA) a plan in which its 103-acre site on Highway 31 would be converted into a mixed use city center and town square for Spring Hill. If approved, the Tennessee Children’s Home would build new facilities nearby on Doc Robinson Road.

“The Children’s Home has reached a crossroads where we either have to raise significant dollars to renovate our existing campus or we build an entirely new campus,” said Brian L. King, board president. “We’re working with the city and Insight Properties to ensure we can not only fund our new campus but also provide a legacy for Spring Hill. This is a very exciting project that I believe will become the heart of this wonderful city.”SpringHillTownSquarePhoto_1_

The Tennessee Children’s Home engaged with Insight Properties to assist in developing a plan for relocation. Insight Properties presented BOMA a master plan for the site to include a new city hall and public library, as well as a mixed used town square comprised of retail, restaurant, office and residential components. Historic Ferguson Hall, which sits on the property, would serve as a visitor’s center under the proposed plan.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community to come together and create a vibrant town square bringing the city and its citizens to a core synergistic location,” said David Buschmann, president of Insight Properties.

Insight Properties is asking for the city of Spring Hill to explore utilizing tax increment financing (TIF) to fund the infrastructure of the property and development of the civic structures.

“TIF financing is very common for redevelopment, infrastructure and other community-improvement projects,” said Buschmann. “We believe that this project will qualify, which would allow it to be funded at little or no cost to the tax payers.”

Besides city hall and the library, the project would ultimately include approximately 320,000-square-feet of office, restaurant and retail space and up to 600 residential units to be built out over a period of 7 to 10 years. 40 percent of the property would be maintained as city park space, including a public amphitheater around the existing lake with a focus on festivals, concerts and family activities.

“The city has received citizen feedback that there is a need to create a synergy for our community around a town square,” added Buschmann. “If we are able to move city hall, that will free up space to expand the police department and, overall, it will give the city an incredible new focal point to be enjoyed by both residents and visitors.”

SpringHillTownSquarePlanIf approved by Spring Hill’s BOMA, a TIF tax specialist will be engaged to confirm the viability of the project. Once this is determined, the master plan would be further developed and Insight Properties would identify partners for the commercial and residential development aspects of the project.

The Tennessee Children’s Home was founded in 1909 as the Tennessee Orphan Home in Columbia. It moved to its current location in Spring Hill in 1935 and also has locations in West and East Tennessee. It is a faith-based organization that provides housing, treatment and development for boys 13-18 years of age.

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