Nashville developer sets sights on 500 acres near Narrows

Nashville developer Michael Hayes, CEO of C.B. Ragland, has his sights set on a property of more than 500 acres near the Narrows of the Harpeth in Kingston Springs to build a resort inspired by Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee.

Hayes – who made it clear that his team is "really early in our diligence process" – said the project they are thinking about developing will consist of 80 small, one bedroom cottages with 40 additional houses that are also part of the resort property.

"That number, I'd say both, hasn't been determined yet. It's too early in the process to say that it's exactly 80, or it's exactly 40," Hayes told the Gazette. C.B. Ragland has not presented any official plans to the Cheatham County Commission, and has yet to even purchase the property near the Narrows that is currently home to Bells Reserve – an outdoor activities and event venue that opened in the summer of 2023.

Hayes said his favorite inspiration for the land along the Harpeth River is Wildflower Farms in upstate New York, in addition to Blackberry Farm in the Great Smoky Mountains. Both of these resorts cost, on average, $1,100 per night for the least expensive package.

Wildflower Farms, which features its own on-site farm, hosts a restaurant, a spa, a pool (dubbed the "Dew Bar"), tennis courts and a movement studio. The resort offers packages of experiences, including private tennis lessons, painting classes, cooking classes, mixology lessons and so much more.

Hayes said the plan for his project, if it moves forward, is to "celebrate preservation [and] celebrate working with local communities and farmers."

Hayes said he has begun having one-on-one meetings with the neighbors that directly touch the property, but otherwise is "really early in what is likely a pretty long process." He said he plans to speak to thousands of people in small groups, individually and at larger community hearings.

"I plan to have a lot of community outreach to talk about what it is that we'd like to do, and have a really holistic community conversation about what growth looks like ... to see if [our project] is the right fit," Hayes said. "We'll need community buy-in. We'll need for our neighbors to really like what we would like to do."

Hayes said he plans to start having these conversations with the community this summer, and while he currently doesn't have a timeline for submitting a plan to the County Commission, he hopes it's in the next year or two. Before that, though, there will need to be several surveys done, including a traffic study.

Hayes acknowledged that of the conversations he's had with neighbors on Cedar Hill Road, traffic was a concern associated with this potential development. He said he hopes to work alongside District 6 Commissioner James Hedgepath to improve the canoe take out at Harris Street Bridge, or leverage the results from the traffic study to do something "for the community that would be helpful."

Commissioner Hedgepath told the Gazette that when the time comes for this to be presented to the County, he will vote with the people. "If the people say they want it, then that's what I'm going to say. If the people say they don't want it, then that's what I'm going to say," Hedgepath said. "[As of April 17], I've got 175 names that are opposed to this project. I've got two names that think it's a good thing."

Hedgepath said the main concerns he is hearing from people opposing this potential project are traffic on Cedar Hill Road and environmental concerns for the Harpeth River.