Watkins Real Estate Group to develop Village Green, a Publix-anchored shopping center in Nolensville, Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 11, 2024) — JLL today announces that Atlanta-based Watkins Real Estate Group (Watkins) will develop Village Green, a Publix-anchored shopping center in Nolensville, Tennessee. In addition to Publix, five national and regional tenants have already signed leases for the development, including Heartland Dental, Club Pilates, Jersey Mike’s, Waxing the City, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa and Physicians Urgent Care. JLL Executive Vice President William Shell and Associate Harris McCullough will lead leasing efforts on behalf of Watkins.

Village Green broke ground in July and is a specialty retail center designed to meet the needs of the Nolensville community by providing increased accessibility to a variety of shopping, dining and service providers. Strategically located at 7344 Nolensville Road, Village Green is surrounded by a dense residential market and will fill a gap in the market by providing a convenient grocery option for the area. Since 1980, Watkins has developed over 50 Publix-anchored retail centers across the Southeast and plans to deliver Village Green in summer 2025.

“Village Green will become a new meeting place for the residents of Nolensville and surrounding areas to shop, dine, exercise and more,” said Robbie Swan, Vice President of Development at Watkins. “Our team specializes in creating exceptional grocery-anchored destinations and is looking forward to debuting a high-quality retail experience for Nolensville. We know our partnership with JLL will prove incredibly valuable for the long-term success of Village Green.”

“We’re excited to deliver this ‘main and main’ location for Publix,” said Michael Aide, President of Watkins. “This development will be of the highest quality, fitting into the Town’s vision with eight different custom designed buildings. Both Publix and our small shop tenant partners will benefit from the already strong demographics, as well as the robust residential development that is occurring in the immediate trade area.”

Located in Williamson County, the wealthiest county in Tennessee, Village Green is poised to be the dominant grocery-anchored complex in the market. Nolensville boasts one of the highest growth trajectories in the Nashville MSA in both residential communities and commercial businesses. Known for its antique district, historic sites and award-winning school system, Nolensville maintains a small-town feel and is an ideal landing spot for family-oriented brands looking to capitalize on a growing market.

“Nolensville is the ideal location for an elevated retail environment like Village Green, evidenced by the best-in-class tenants that have already committed to the development,” said JLL’s Shell. “We are envisioning a diverse mix of retailers that combines both national and regional brands. Village Green will be a creative and diverse approach to the upscale grocery-anchored center model and we look forward to building upon this leasing momentum with more new tenant announcements soon.”

According to JLL’s 2024 Grocery Report, grocery-anchored retail centers continue to attract investor interest as grocery brands look to create synergies between themselves and brands they are in close proximity to. This year, grocery retail is expected to increase momentum due to the sector’s durable returns and tenant stability, which continues to create value and enhance communities.

“This will be the most significant commercial development in the town in quite some time,” said Nolensville Town Manager Victor Lay. “Nolensville is very eager to see this site develop and expresses gratitude to Watkins Real Estate Group for working through challenging zoning requirements and bringing us such an attractive and exciting commercial project, including such a desirable anchor as Publix.”

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