LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WTVF) — La Vergne is a city with a booming population that is navigating some growing pains as more people move to middle Tennessee and settle in for the long haul.
"We have the state's largest subdivision, right in the Lake Forest right next to us here. What we don't have is the amenities," Tom Broeker, La Vergne's Economic Development Department Director said." There are a large amount of homes coming to this area and people want to move to Rutherford County and to La Vergne."
We talked with several of you who call La Vergne home and found that the biggest concern on your mind is job opportunities.
Not surprising, as our visit comes on the heels of longtime local employer Bridgestone, which shut down its operations late last month, leaving hundreds without work.
"We hate that we lose that we hate that for the employees there," Broeker said.
Despite that disappointing news, city leaders remain optimistic about what's ahead.
"The flip side of that the positive side is yes, we believe it , if history is any any barometer, will bounce back we are resilient," Broeker said.
In an effort to learn what can make life better for La Vergne residents, we wanted to speak directly with its community leaders, like Broeker and Mayor Jason Cole.
Both of whom agreed that there are efforts in the works to help La Vergne evolve, with an emphasized priority on luring more businesses offering higher paying jobs.
"We'd love to continuation of the health care, we'd love to continuation of manufacturing logistic logistics jobs again Anything that's going to bring higher wages. Right now, La Vergne has the highest median income in Rutherford County," Broeker said.
$14,000 above the state average, to be exact.
And one of the city's largest projects yet could bring hundreds of jobs to the area in the next several years.
"We just announced $350 million misuse project in South Walton, which is going to bring boutiques, shops, restaurant options, community green space, and it's not been done anywhere in Rutherford County, so we're real proud of that," Broeker said.
That development is called Twinning Station, which we learned is expected to generate as much as $700M in revenue for the city that over the next 20 years.
"Growth for Laverne isn't coming," Mayor Cole said. "It's here—It's been here. We're the fastest growing segment of Rutherford County."
Mayor Cole said in order to keep the area attractive for potential homebuyers and business owners alike, the best thing the city can do is to keep folks informed and stay transparent about the decisions being made around development.
"It's being open about it, being honest and explaining what's going on and what resources and tools are available to help those employees that have been affected and try to connect them with the job opportunities," Mayor Cole said.
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