Developer pitches Five Oaks TIFF to Wilson County; commissioners ask for data and city sign‑off before action

Developers seeking a public‑private partnership described a 19‑acre commercial project near Lebanon Road and Five Oaks Boulevard and asked the budget committee to receive their proposal while they complete the city and IDB process.

"My name is Russell Reebling. I'm the managing partner at the place of Five Oaks," Russell Reebling told the committee as he introduced the proposal and the team. Reebling said the first phase would include roughly 50,000 square feet of retail and that subsequent phases could total roughly 200,000 square feet of commercial space plus an 80–100 room hotel. He said the first phases do not include residential development.

Ken Larish, CEO of Mainland, described the plan as a higher‑end retail and lifestyle center that the team expects will deliver significant public‑facing infrastructure bundled into a private development. Larish said TIFF/TIP dollars would be used only for horizontal infrastructure (streets, utilities, plazas) that the county or city typically requires, not for vertical retail construction.

Rich (former Nashville finance director) explained the TIFF mechanics and said the developers are requesting a 10‑year term under state law (to be used to reimburse some infrastructure costs). He cited third‑party analysis that the property currently generates about $2,800 annually in property tax and that full development could push county property tax receipts on the parcel to nearly $600,000 annually; he said the study (conducted by Younger and Associates) estimated roughly $11 million in annual sales tax generation countywide at full buildout. "We're asking for a 10‑year TIFF which is half of the term you could be entitled to," Rich said.

Commissioners asked for clarifications. Several raised concerns about cannibalizing existing retail, noting Providence Mall and other local shopping centers, and about how much the county would actually receive in sales tax given the project sits inside Lebanon city limits. Staff and developers emphasized that most local sales tax from in‑city projects flows to city and school funds and that the TIFF proposal would preserve the county's current annual property‑tax amount while using incremental taxes tied to development to reimburse infrastructure costs. Developers said they expected 18 months to two years for full build‑out of initial phases and that the project team will pursue the legally required public process: IDB public hearing, city council action, then county commission consideration.

Commissioners consistently described the meeting as informational. "Tonight was really just informational," one commissioner said, urging staff to collect comparative data from similar Middle Tennessee projects that have been in place longer. Developers and staff said they will return with more data, including performance numbers from recent projects in adjacent counties and a formal IDB/city schedule. No county TIFF resolution or vote was taken.

What’s next: Developers plan IDB and city hearings later this month; if the city and IDB approve, the project would return to the county commission for formal consideration, potentially by the May commission meeting, depending on sequencing and timing.