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Developers offer Rutherford County option to buy 35 acres behind Smyrna High for $10; board asked to indicate intent
Summary
Developers working on a Kroger-anchored project told the school board the district has an option to buy about 35 acres behind Smyrna High for $10; most of the parcel is in a floodplain, and the developer would pay for campus access improvements, city officials said.
Developers and town officials told the Rutherford County School Board they have offered the district an option to purchase roughly 35 acres behind Smyrna High School for $10 and asked whether the board intends to exercise that right.
A staff presenter working with the city and developers described a Kroger-led project adjacent to the school and said the developer plans changes to nearby roads that will alter campus access. “All of those changes, striping, paving, closing off the entrance, building this, all of this will be at the developer's cost,” the presenter said. The developer also proposed cutting the fence line along the state road to create a widened entrance and a new bus-only access into the school parking lot.
The presenter said most of the 35-acre parcel is in the floodway or flood plain, limiting development. The town of Smyrna has requested a partnership to extend a greenway; staff said CSX has granted permission for a path under a railroad bridge nearby to link neighborhoods and support the greenway plan.
Board members asked logistical questions about drop-off patterns and parking and whether closing McWilliams Drive (a change TDOT requires for the project) would affect parents’ access. The presenter said parents could still use the lighted entrance and that the developers are proposing multiple entrances to ease circulation. “We would have multiple entrances that will line up in a T intersection so that we can get rid of some of the problems we've had,” the presenter said.
Timing and decision: The developers said they will provide written notice when the property is sold and that the district typically has a year to exercise the option; staff said the developers requested an early indication of intent because the option affects their plans for outparcels. The transcript records discussion and questions but no formal board vote; one board member summarized: “If we intend to exercise our right to buy the 35 acres for $10 that's what they would need to know because it affects future developers.”
Why it matters: The parcel adjoins Smyrna High, could be used for athletic practice space or greenway connections, and the developer has said access work would be paid by the developer rather than the district. The board discussed parking shortfalls for events and whether a partnership or temporary lease of outparcels might be possible.
No formal decision was recorded in the available transcript; staff said they would expect written notice from the developer in the next few weeks and that the district technically has one year from that notice to exercise the option.
