Let’s stop pretending. Coopertown is not going to stay a sleepy little town forever. And frankly, it cant nor shouldn’t. The time for slow, cautious, incremental growth is over. We need big ideas, big development, and big momentum—now.
The proposed mixed-use project on Hwy 49? That’s just the beginning of what Coopertown can and should be doing. We need more homes, more businesses, more people, and more energy in this town. You can call it change. I call it progress.
Coopertown is sitting on a goldmine of potential. We’re 30 minutes from Nashville, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. People are coming—whether we want them to or not. We can either welcome that growth with open arms and build a future worth living in, or we can sit around pining for the past while the rest of the region passes us by.
Let’s also be brutally honest here: we need the money. Our roads are outdated. Our services are stretched thin. We can barely afford basic infrastructure improvements. We’re relying on a tiny tax base to fund a town that’s slowly getting left behind. If we want modern amenities, parks, better infrastructure, safer roads, and no property tax like Pleasant View, then we need to start thinking like a town that actually wants to thrive.
And no, Pleasant View hasn’t been ruined by growth. It’s vibrant, accessible, full of families, and they’re doing just fine. Their sales tax revenue funds everything they need, while we’re here debating if we should allow a few dozen homes and a coffee shop. Wake up—this is how you build a tax base. This is how you invest in the future.
Let’s not ignore another hard truth: landowners want to sell. Many farmers aren’t passing the land down to the next generation because their kids don’t want to farm. Selling their land is how they retire. And they deserve to. What gives us the right to say no just because we’re uncomfortable with the view outside our window changing?
If you want Coopertown to remain some isolated, unchanging relic—you’re in the wrong mindset. We’re too close to Nashville. The growth is coming whether we fight it or not. But if we embrace it, we can shape it. We can create a town with real restaurants, walkable developments, entertainment, and places for families to gather that aren’t 25 minutes away. We can be the next Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, or Spring Hill. And why shouldn’t we?
One day, people might not even realize they’ve left Nashville when they come into Coopertown—and I think that’s a good thing. That’s how you know you’ve arrived. That’s how you build value, jobs, opportunities, and a future your kids won’t need to move away from to find.
This town has a choice: be bold or be forgotten. I choose bold.
So yes, build the shops. Build the houses. Build the sidewalks and widen the roads. Let’s stop holding back and start stepping up. Growth isn’t the enemy—it’s the key.
Let’s make Coopertown unrecognizable—and better for it.
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