Dudley Smith expects that on average, a home will be purchased every two days in 2011 in the Providence residential development.

Smith is vice president of Brentwood-based CPS Land, which is overseeing construction at Providence that will eventually feature 3,400 homes located off Interstate 40 at the Mt. Juliet Road exit (exit 226). More than 1,100 of those homes were already sold and occupied by the end of 2010.

“There are 10 builders currently doing work in Providence, constructing everything from starter homes to townhomes to custom homes,” Smith says. “Prices range from $180,000 to $450,000, and there are also 640 nice apartments on the Providence site, with another 120 apartments planned.”

Active Adults

The most vibrant sales nowadays at Providence are occurring in what is called the Del Webb section. Del Webb is an active adult community for people ages 55 and older, with amenities such as a 15-acre lake and a $20 million recreation/wellness center.

“Providence offers living for all different ages, and the Del Webb community is certainly one of the most popular areas,” Smith says. “There were 200 homes sold to Del Webb residents in 2010 alone.”

Shopping Is Hopping

A key reason for the overall popularity of the Providence community is that a Providence MarketPlace shopping mall is already part of the development. The 850,000-square-foot shopping destination allows Providence residents to literally walk from their homes to big box department stores, specialty stores, a grocery store, restaurants and a 14-screen movie theater.

“The reason that the marketplace is there is because the residences are there, and the reason that the residences are there is because the marketplace is there,” says Mark Hinesley, president of the Mt. Juliet/West Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. “Neither would succeed without the other.”

School of Thought

Providence is located at the southern edge of Mt. Juliet and was originally conceived in the 1970s, but a sluggish economy in the 1980s and other factors kept pushing back the groundbreaking date. Finally, things got rolling in the mid-2000s with the planning of Providence MarketPlace, and the community has become so successful that there are already plans to build a middle school. Providence is two miles from Rutland Elementary School.

“The development also has easy access to the interstate, Nashville International Airport, area lakes and the downtown Nashville central business district,” Smith says.

More Pieces to Add

He adds that there are plans to add a police substation and fire hall to Providence, along with a veterinarian clinic and a medical sports training and wellness facility. There are also 270 acres set aside for a light industrial park, plus 52 acres of commercial land that fronts the interstate.

“This sounds cliché but I’ve been in the development business a good number of years and this is the most exciting project I’ve ever been involved in,” Smith says. “There aren’t many places where you can live and walk to school, stores, restaurants and maybe even to work, but Providence is such a place.”