Advertiser News
Melissa Web

Cool Springs Area Continues to Grow

New Announcements for

Franklin development: Whole Foods one of first retailers

After the premier of “McEwen the Movie” on Thursday, Jan. 31, the McEwen development seems to have taken on a life of its own. Poised to be Franklin’s “hippest” town around, McEwen is drawing office and retail businesses like a magnet.
“McEwen the Movie” provided audiences with a sneak-peek of what life in McEwen will be like. The movie also gives insight into how Cool Springs can become a more livable and pedestrian-friendly community.

“McEwen is going to be different from anything else in this market,” said Melonee McKinney Hurt, mixed-use marketing director for Southern Land Company. “In typical Southern Land fashion, we wanted to make the unveiling as unique as the community. We are extremely excited about this event and believe that it is something that will not only be informative, but also very entertaining.”

“We hope the audience will leave the movie with all of their questions answered and their curiosity at full throttle,” said Alison Cooke, co-director of the movie. “We want McEwen to spark a revolution. We want it to usher in a new era of shopping, entertaining and living in Cool Springs and Williamson County. After seeing this, we want people to live like they mean it.”

At the core of McEwen’s lifestyle will be the live-work concept. As such, The McEwen Building, the first office building in McEwen, is a much anticipated aspect of the community. A ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held last fall.

The estimated cost of the project is $30 million and it is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2009. Southern Land Company plans to relocate the firm’s corporate headquarters to The McEwen Building as its first tenant.

The McEwen Building will stand seven stories tall. The building was designed by Nashville-based Gresham, Smith and Partners and Southern Land Company’s in-house architecture studio. The $17.1 million modern structure will provide 158,000 square feet of prime Class A office space and will also offer more than 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

“We look forward to relocating our offices to McEwen and believe the move represents Southern Land Company’s commitment and belief in mixed-use development in this market,” said David Wilson, EVP of Mixed-Use Development for Southern Land Company. “We see this as our firm’s first step in redefining the commercial office culture in Williamson County.”

The McEwen Building is being designed to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating SystemTM, which is a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The LEED standards are recognized nationwide as proof that a building is environmentally responsible, and a healthy place to live and work.

In McEwen retail news, Whole Foods, considered the world’s leading natural and organic grocer, has signed on. The store will be located at the southwest corner of McEwen Drive and Mallory Lane. It will occupy approximately 45,000 square feet of retail space in its own free-standing building. Construction is slated to begin in fall of 2008 with a tentative opening scheduled for fall

of 2009.

“This is a huge day for

McEwen and for Cool Springs,” said David Wilson, EVP of Mixed-Use for Southern Land Company of the grocer’s announcement. “When you consider the popularity, success and overall culture of the Whole Foods Market brand, we are confident that McEwen is off to a phenomenal start. We have officially arrived from a retail perspective and this marks the beginning of an exciting new era of smart and sustainable economic growth in Williamson County.”

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2006, the company had sales of $5.6 billion and currently has more than 270 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Scott Allshouse, regional president for Whole Foods Market South Region said, “Franklin is a great fit for Whole Foods Market, as we already know with the success of our Wild Oats store. This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring a second Whole Foods Market to the state and we’re looking forward to being a part of the Franklin community.”

The total project value of McEwen is $333 million. The neighborhood will contain commercial, retail, multi-family and single-family space as well as large open spaces that are designed centrally within the neighborhood for better pedestrian access by residents and tenants alike. To learn more about McEwen, visit www.mcewen-tn.com.

Southern Land Company is based in Franklin, 15 miles south of downtown Nashville. It is a full service Real Estate development firm with more than 325 employees between its Tennessee and Texas

offices. The company employs architects, landscape architects, homebuilders, town planners, engineers, heavy construction professionals, marketing and sales teams, horticulturalists, and a broad scope of community development professionals. The private firm was founded 21 years ago by the current CEO, Timothy W. Downey. To learn more about Southern Land Company, visit www.southernland.com.

Correspondent Melissa Webb can be reached at melw@charterinternet.com.