Developers ask Gallatin for infrastructure support to advance Greenlee retail project; council defers decision

Developers for a proposed shopping center on Greenlee Boulevard told the Gallatin City Council on April 22 that site constraints and added city requirements have pushed construction costs above the anchor tenant’s target and asked the city to help offset up to $1,250,000 through an infrastructure recapture agreement.

The request was presented by Mike McGuffin of CHM Development, who said the project — described on the agenda as the Target project on Greenlee — began about 2 1/2 years ago and has completed geotechnical, environmental, hydrology and traffic studies and other due diligence. McGuffin told council, “we're at a point now where the anchor tenant has come back to us and the cost of the project exceed what they're willing to pay in this market,” and asked the city to consider contributing to certain upfront infrastructure costs that the developer would repay from future sales-tax receipts once the center is operating.

Why it matters: Developers said the site’s wetlands, TVA transmission lines, rock and creek crossings have driven up costs, and that recent city requirements — including a greenway, fence, additional sidewalk, a traffic signal at the main entrance, and an electrical loop around the site — add several…