A new mixed-use project that could end up costing between $500 million and $700 million is in the early planning stages fronting on Interstate 40 in Arlington.

If approved, the development — called Hawthorne — would mean another major mixed-use project along the Interstate 40 corridor in northeast Shelby County. The Lake District at Lakeland west on the expressway is under construction with a price tag in the $400 million to $500 million range.

The two projects represent the growth along the interstate in that part of the county. And the $150 million Ashmont project, planned near the Lakeland exit, will mean well over $1 billion in new mixed-use developments in a six-mile stretch proposed through that highly traveled suburban corridor.

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On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Arlington Planning Commission considered the commercial and residential halves of the Hawthorne planned development just north of the I-40 interchange between Tenn. 385 and Airline Road.

Nashville-based developer Beacon Companies’ 92-acre Hawthorne site is divided by Hall Creek, and plans feature an abundance of open space including lakes, trails, an amphitheater, a disc golf course and a community/dog park among the amenities.

“I do like the fact that residents will now have access to Hall Creek trails and that area, which they don’t have access to now,” said Alderman Jeremy Biggs, who also serves on the Planning Commission.

Hawthorne’s 26.5-acre commercial section, which was unanimously approved by the commission, will include four commercial/retail buildings, three commercial/office/light industrial buildings and two hotels.

“One of the things that’s important for us, I think, is to be able to provide an additional center of employment,” Beacon partner Chris Rudd said. “We want this to work as a cohesive community inside of a larger cohesive community. So we want people to be able to walk to work.”

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Biggs did, however, express reservations about the placement of one of the hotels at the corner of Airline Road, which is considered the gateway to the town. He hopes the developer will move it to another spot in the development before the project goes before the Board of Mayor and Alderman for consideration.

“I just don’t think I’m going to be able to vote for a hotel right there on Airline Road,” Biggs said.

The commission voted separately on the residential portion of Hawthorne, covering 66.1 acres and including 37 townhomes, 114 stacked flats, 600 lofts, 30,000 square feet of retail and a brewery/restaurant.

Some residents and town officials balked at the project’s apartments.

“We are totally against an apartment complex rental residential area,” Migdalia Herbert said. “Our property value will go down. When I moved to Arlington 23 years ago, this was the land of dreams. It was a small town. We loved seeing the deer there. Having a commercial area will eliminate a lot of those deer.”

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She wonders if Arlington can support all of the new commercial spaces and what will happen if they are not filled.

“We do not like vacant space,” Rudd said. “Vacant space does not bode well for us, for our residents, for our other tenants. We want to have users lined up in advance. We think we’ll have some exciting groups here that will be pretty fun for Arlington. For us, it’s about having a desirable place to go.”

Biggs also had concerns with the residential portion of the project and cast the lone dissenting vote against it.

“My biggest issue with this whole thing that I can’t get past for me personally is seven apartment buildings, 600 apartment units — that dwarfs anything that we have now. It’s more apartments than we have total in Arlington right now,” he said.

Commissioner Susan Payne voted in favor of both aspects of the project.

“It is a very upscale development for Arlington, and we’re excited about it,” she said.

Rudd expects a five-year build-out.

“From an infrastructure standpoint, a lot of it depends on some key users that may find the site attractive,” he said. “But we will likely run all of the infrastructure work in an initial phase.”

Brian Thompson, the commission chairman, noted that the town’s land use plan guides what is specifically allowed on that land, and the proposed project does align with what was expected to go there.

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“We have a plan to allow people to purchase and develop their property as long as it fits our vision,” Thompson said. “This is what is ideal for that area (along I-40). Yes, we’re growing very fast and are a very desirable place, but we do it with a lot of thought and planning.”

A traffic study will be completed to make sure the area can handle the trips generated for the various uses.

The general development plan next will go before Arlington’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen for review.