Spring Hill, Tennessee: The Challenges and Opportunities of Growth

In 2000, Spring Hill, Tenn., had a population of just over 7,000 people. Today that has grown nearly 700% to a population of more than 55,000. It’s a massive boom that has brought both opportunity and challenges to the area. 

“I get up every day excited about what's going on in Spring Hill,” said Pam Caskie, city administrator, Spring Hill. While she is the first to admit that there are many problems and inefficiencies that must be addressed, she also says that she is proud of the work that is being done. 

One of the biggest projects that will soon be completed in the city is the I-65 Interchange at Buckner Road. The game-changing project — set to open in Spring 2024 — will give the city a second I-65 access point and bring some much needed relief to the city’s ongoing traffic struggle. 

It will also provide direct access to the June Lake Development, which is situated along Buckner Lane. June Lake is a mixed-use development on the Williamson County side of Spring Hill that will be home to 3.9-million-square-feet of commercial office space, 1.3-million-square-feet of retail and restaurant space, 2,900 homes, and 400 hotel rooms.

"I get up every day excited about what's going on in Spring Hill."

—Pam Caskie, City Administrator, Spring Hill

“The interchange opening and the amount of effort and energy the city's putting into bringing that to bear is huge,” said Caskie. “It's kind of like if you have a spicket and all the water's forced out at the spicket, it's exploding when it comes out because of the pressure behind it. When you open up another spicket over here, the pressure drops and I think that's gonna be huge.”

Along with the new interchange, Caskie said she is excited about the new police station that is currently under construction and the work happening to expand the water and sewer plants. 

“We are mobilizing as we speak,” said Caskie. “The police station is underway. We just closed on land for the public works facilities. We're tackling things, but it’s like eating an elephant one bite at a time. And you know, the elephant isn't gone yet. I don't know when the elephant will be gone, but we're certainly making progress.”

In addition to infrastructure efforts, Caskie said the city is working on projects that will help to bring economic diversity and resident amenities to the area. 

For example, there's a regional tennis facility being backed by the U.S. Tennis Association, which will have indoor and outdoor courts, as well as junior courts. It will be used for recreational and competitive play. 

In that same area, they are working on bringing more hotels and restaurants, shopping, and even rooftop bars that will be a place for people to gather and watch tennis matches.

Even as they bring new opportunities to the area, Caskie says that one of the biggest challenges the city will have to face is how to deal with housing. The area’s housing costs can be inaccessible to residents with lower-paying wages, which could make attracting that workforce more difficult. It’s a significant challenge that many growing areas face. 

Despite the challenges, Caskie said she believes that Spring Hill is an attractive location for residents to call home and build a family. 

“The quality of life in Spring Hill is outstanding,” said Caskie. “We have excellent schools. We are fairly compact, which means that while traffic right now may be a bit of a challenge, you have six ways to get to work. We're well connected to get where we need to go and soon that’s going to be even better. There's nothing that we can't get in Spring Hill. So you don't have to go very far to be able to take care of all of your service needs.”