Apr. 20—When Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell was first campaigning three and a half years ago, he leaned up against a constituent's pickup truck as he visited neighborhoods and listened as the man told him that growth must pay for itself.
"Over the past three and a half years, we've worked hard to make that happen," Bell said. "We've increased the impact fees on developers so that the infrastructure that they need is paid for by them and not by the current taxpayers. The largest infrastructure project in our city's history is that sewer line going down South Hartmann Drive. It's a $25 million project and half that has been paid for by developers."
At his annual state of the city address, the mayor told the crowd that Lebanon has only paid for 10% of the project's total costs.
"That sewer line has opened up that entire area for future economic development opportunities to expand our sales tax base," Bell said.
Since Bell became mayor, over 30 new regulations have been placed on developers, including updating building standards. The council also closed a zoning loophole that had been leading to an increase in multi-family developments.
"We've done more than just put in growth management measures," Bell said. "Phase one of our signal synchronization system is in place. This was a multi-million-dollar grant, to computerize our traffic signals so our traffic techs can sit in the control room or on iPads and change the lights to make traffic flow more efficiently."
The first call from a constituent that Bell received when he became a city councilor in 2016 was to tell him that the city needed more restaurants on the west side of town. Since becoming mayor, Bell has heard similar requests from all around town.
"People want more places to dine," Bell said.
In the past year, the city has announced that Johnathan's Grill, In-N-Out and The Goat are coming to Lebanon. East Nashville Beer Works is currently under construction on Highway 109. Olivia's Oyster Bar is currently in the works just off the Lebanon square.
"We have also just announced Aubrey's on West Main near Publix, which will be the first newly constructed, full-service sit-down restaurant in Lebanon in 12 years," Bell said. "That's why in 2016 somebody was telling me we need more restaurants, and that's why people say it: it's been 12 years."
Restaurants are not the only thing that people ask for: they also ask for additional shopping opportunities. Several new stores have opened in Western Plaza and Goodwill has returned to Lebanon.
"In the past year, the Economic Development Department has sent out 250 marketing packets and followed those up with calls and emails," Bell said. "We're not waiting for people to find us. We're going out and introducing ourselves."