TREZEVANT, Tenn. — A small piece of land continues to draw big discussions in Trezevant.
The Hillsman property at 5340 Broad Street South, which is a vacant, town-owned parcel that has been at the center of debate since at least February. On Tuesday night, it cleared two major hurdles. The board voted to rezone it from residential to B-1 business district, and then, despite guidance against it, voted to transfer ownership to the Industrial Development Board.
The rezoning vote came first, and it was relatively straightforward compared to what followed. Vice Mayor Pam Joyner made the motion. It passed 4-1, with Alderman Don Barger casting the lone no vote.
The transfer vote was another matter.
Hillsman Property Transfer
Town Attorney Charles Trotter told the board he understood the impulse to get the property into the IDB’s hands. He argued the timing was wrong. Without a business prospect at the table, he said, the board was negotiating against itself. It was setting restrictions and conditions before anyone serious had come forward.
His preferred approach was a ground lease arrangement, where the IDB retains control of the property and leases it long-term to a developer at little or no rent, rather than conveying title outright. A sale with deed restrictions, he warned, is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
“If they ever get to the point that those restrictions are breached or violated, you are buying a lawsuit,” Trotter said.
IDB member Eddie Granger agreed the board wasn’t ready.
“We have voted on absolutely nothing,” Granger said. “There is nothing on paper. We need to dot our i’s and cross our t’s before any property is transferred.”
Alderman Don Barger saw it differently.
He pointed to the original IDB operating the clinic building for years as proof that the arrangement can work without the city micromanaging every decision. That board, he said, leased the clinic to a medical tenant, turned a profit, and did it without coming back to the aldermen for approval at every turn.
“Give them the property, let them have the responsibility of the property,” Barger said. “They are the team that was put together to do this type of work in the city.”
He also addressed the problem with leaving the property in the city’s hands.
“The city can’t do anything with it,” Barger said. “Period. The comptroller doesn’t want us doing anything with that. That’s the reason the Industrial Development Board was originated in the first place.”
Alderman Dan Dieringer said he wanted to move carefully, and suggested the board and the IDB work together to establish criteria before any transfer takes place. He proposed forming a small committee to coordinate between the two bodies and with legal counsel.
In the end, the board voted 3-2 to transfer the property to the IDB. Trotter said he would have a deed prepared by next week.
The IDB now holds title to the property. What happens next is up to them.
