$100K site development grant awarded to Greene Valley project

GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Funding from the state will allow Greene County leaders to map out the site of several new projects.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) awarded more than $17 million in grants to help communities invest in infrastructure and engineering improvements, including $100,000 for an area project.

TNECD announced in a news release Tuesday that 15 new Site Development Grants were awarded. The grants will assist in land economic development projects and help communities achieve “Select Tennessee” site certification.

In Northeast Tennessee, a $100,000 grant was awarded to the Tusculum-Greeneville-Greene County, Tennessee Industrial Development Board.

The board was awarded the funds for “due diligence” at its Greene Valley project.

State Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville) told News Channel 11 the grant represents the second round of funding for environmental studies and surveys of the land at Greene Valley. The county is hoping to assess what could be constructed at the site.

State lawmakers and county officials told News Channel 11 in December 2023 that they plan to break ground and begin demolition at the Greene Valley site in 2024.

Construction at Greene Valley site expected to start in 2024

Greene Valley used to house a center for those with intellectual disabilities until its 2017 closure. The county later purchased the 335-acre site from the state and has previously indicated a desire to construct new facilities on the property.

Hawk said crews will break ground on a new regional center for intellectual disabilities and aging later in June, and plans to bring a new Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) facility to Greene Valley are underway.

Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison told News Channel 11 that TCAT is eyeing April 2026 for a “christening” of the new 57,000-square-foot facility.

The remaining hundreds of acres at Greene Valley will be studied so county leadership can have an idea of what possible industries could be brought to the site, Hawk said. Morrison said the county hopes to avoid bringing heavy manufacturing or any industry that would cause a nuisance to the site. Instead, Morrison said county leaders hope to attract medical, educational and professional businesses with some retail as well.

Grants were awarded after an advisory committee reviewed applications submitted by boards and local governments.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter stated that the economic development of the state’s rural communities is paramount to statewide success.

“What happens in rural Tennessee matters to all Tennesseans, and we’ve made significant investments to strengthen the skilled workforce in our rural counties,” Lee said. “TNECD’s Site Development grant program further supports those efforts by creating high-quality jobs for thousands of Tennesseans across our state and spurring future economic growth.”

“From Memphis to Mountain City, Tennessee has so many rural communities,” McWhorter said. “Economic growth in our rural regions is vital to our future, and I’m grateful to all involved for helping make this round of grants happen.”

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