SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — Rapid development, from the GM plant to new neighborhoods popping up across town, has raised concerns for many Spring Hill residents who have watched their community transform.
I spent time with Spring Hill residents, business owners and workers to hear directly from them about their concerns.
Not surprisingly, growth topped the list.
"Way back in the day before Spring Hill was growing, we wanted to keep it small... We're no longer small," said one longtime resident.
Some homeowners expressed worry about being priced out of the area they've called home.
"If we sell today, we can't afford to go anywhere else," said another Spring Hill resident.
More people are moving to middle Tennessee — whether for new jobs or retirement — and those who've been here longer say they're feeling every change, both good and bad.
Spring Hill's new mayor, Matt Fitterer, who was elected last month, says many of the growth pains residents are experiencing now stem from decisions made nearly two decades ago.
"The vast majority of the growth that you see and the vast majority of the new development that you see goin' on can be tied back to a lot of land use decisions that were made in 2005, 2006, 2007," Fitterer said.
One concern raised by several neighbors involves who is purchasing properties in the area, with some worried about out-of-town companies buying homes as rental properties.
"We've also watched our neighborhood start shrinking as far as home ownership. On my block in particular, I know of at least 5 rental homes that are owned by major corporations," said a concerned resident.
Mayor Fitterer disputes this characterization for most new construction.
"If we look at a vast majority of the residential single family homes throughout Spring Hill, the vast majority have been built by local Williamson County builders, Rutherford County builders, Maury County builders. This isn't Wall Street coming in and putting up a subdivision. These are local, single-family home developers," Fitterer said.
These homes are being built in an area where the population grew nearly 14% between 2020 and 2023, according to U.S. Census data, putting significant strain on local transportation infrastructure.
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Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
- Lelan Statom
