ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SURVEY NOLENSVILLE, TENNESSEE MAY, 2008 TIMOTHY R. GRAEFF, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF MARKETING DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF CONSUMER RESEARCH MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

Table of Contents Overview / Purpose, 3 Survey Methodology, 4 The Sample, 9 Results, 16 Do You Need a Larger Sample?, 32 Summary / Conclusions, 38 The Survey, 42 Text of Open-Ended Responses, 43

Overview / Purpose The overall purpose of this survey was to measure Nolensville residents perceptions and attitudes toward the addition of new retail and commercial businesses to the Nolensville area. Results from this survey will be used by the Nolensville Economic Development Planning Committee and Mayor, Beth Lothers in making decisions about future retail and commercial growth in the Nolensville area.

Survey Methodology

Methodology Surveys were conducted via telephone using state-of-the-art computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) software. All telephone surveys were conducted from the telephone survey lab of the Office of Consumer Research housed in the Management & Marketing Department at Middle Tennessee State University. Surveys were conducted from 6-8 pm the evenings of Monday, May 19 and Tuesday, May 20. All interviews were conducted by senior level undergraduate students taking Prof. Graeffs Marketing Research class and volunteers from the Nolensville Economic Development Committee.

Methodology Telephone numbers were selected at random from the United Telephone directory. Only those phone numbers beginning with 776 were selected. This resulted in residents from Nolensville and Brentwood, TN being selected to participate in the survey. Interviewers introduced the survey as being conducted for the town of Nolensville, with the approval of Mayor, Beth Lothers and the Economic Development Committee.

Methodology A total of 463 residents were contacted to participate in the survey. Of this, 228 agreed to participate in the survey. Interestingly, 235 (more than half) declined to participate. Some of the main reasons given for not wanting to participate included: Not enough time They lived in Brentwood and did not feel like they should participate Did not care enough to want to offer any opinions

The Survey The survey measured: Preference for various types of businesses to be opened in Nolensville Preferred locations for the various types of businesses – if they were to open in Nolensville Attitudes toward parking and walking to new businesses Attitudes toward a potential new Town Center Attitudes toward potential new bicycle and walking paths in and around Nolensville Attitudes toward retirement living centers in Nolensville Attitudes toward mass transit Park & Ride bus services connecting Nolensville with surrounding areas Respondents were also given an opportunity to suggest new types / names of businesses they would like to see open in Nolensville. A copy of the survey is attached at the back of this report.

The Sample

Sample Size and Margin of Error A total of 228 people agreed to participate in the survey. With a sample of 228 people we can say with 95% confidence that the amount of survey error due to taking a random sample instead of surveying all members of the population is ± 6.5%. For example, 49% of respondents said that they would likely be regular customers of fast food restaurants, if they were to be built in Nolensville. You can be 95% confident that the percentage of all Nolensville residents who would likely be regular customers of fast food restaurants is between 42.5% and 55.5%. Other factors such as problems with question wording and question interpretation can also introduce additional bias or error into the results.

The Sample Population numbers are based on US Census 2000 Data. Assuming the data from the 2000 census accurately represents the current distribution of ages in Nolensville (in 2008), the sample under-represents younger residents, while it over- represents older residents. It is possible that older residents were more likely to be at home during the times the surveys were conducted and/or were more willing to participate in the survey. Unfortunately there is no measure of the ages of non- respondents (those who were either not at home, did not answer the phone, or who refused to participate).

The Sample Population numbers are based on US Census 2000 Data. Assuming the data from the 2000 census accurately represents the current distribution of males and females in Nolensville (in 2008), the sample under- represents males, while it over-represents females. An over-representation of females in a telephone survey is typical and is to be expected. If no effort is made to control for the sex of respondents, females are more likely to answer the phone and agree to participate in the survey.

The Sample

Results

For each of the following types of businesses, indicate whether it is a business you would like to see in Nolensville, and if so, whether or not you would probably be a regular customer of that type of business. By far the most desired type of new business is restaurants (especially national chain and independently owned restaurants) and food markets. Respondents showed the least interest in bringing professional services to Nolensville.

Where would you like to see each of the following businesses located – near the center of Nolensville (within ½ mile of Sonic), or outside of the center of Nolensville? Most residents would like to see new businesses located near the center of town.

If a greater number of new retail business were opened near the center of town (near the library and the Sonic on Nolensville Road), but there were no parking spaces immediately adjacent to those businesses, would you be willing to park your car in a parking lot and walk to the businesses that were near the center of town? [Assuming the parking lot were within a short walking distance to the businesses]

Do you believe that the Town of Nolensville should build walking and bicycle paths that connect the current businesses with any new retail businesses near the center of town?

If walking and bicycle paths were built that connected the current businesses with any new retail businesses near the center of town, approximately how often would you use those paths? Most residents would be willing to park and walk to new businesses near the center of town. Most residents are in favor of building bicycle and walking paths in and around Nolensville. Almost three-fourths (73%) of respondents said that they would use bicycle and walking paths to new business near the center of town at least a few times a month, or more often.

Do you believe that the Town of Nolensville should build walking and bicycle paths that connect the various neighborhoods with the parks in Nolensville?

If walking and bicycle paths were built that connected the various neighborhoods with the parks in Nolensville, approximately how often would you use those paths? Most residents would use bicycle and walking paths that connected the various neighborhoods in Nolensville. 68% of respondents said they would use such bicycle and walking paths at least a few times a month, or more often.

Do you believe that the Town of Nolensville should work toward developing a "Town Center" within ¼ mile of the Sonic on Nolensville Road?

If such a Town Center were developed, what should it include? (Check all that apply) Most residents are in favor of building a Town Center for Nolensville. Most residents would like to see retail stores, government offices and professional services as part of the Town Center. Less than one-third of residents would like to see residential living spaces as part of such a Town Center.

If such a Town Center were developed that included the types of businesses, government offices, and/or residential living spaces you mentioned in the last question, would you be willing to park your car in a parking lot and walk to the Town Center? [Assuming the parking lot were within a short walking distance to the Town Center]

Now we would like to ask you about Retirement Living Centers. If town planners were considering allowing a Retirement Living Center to be built in Nolensville, is this something that you would be in FAVOR of, would you be indifferent toward it, or would you actively OPPOSE a retirement living center in Nolensville?

If there were a Retirement Living Center in Nolensville, would you consider living there when you are retirement age (or now, if you are already retirement age)? The majority of residents would be in favor of a retirement living center being built in Nolensville. Very few residents would actively oppose such retirement living centers being built. Almost two-thirds of residents would consider living in a retirement living center in Nolensville when they reach retirement age. Note: These results related to retirement living centers could be biased due to the over- representation of older residents in the sample. The next two slides discuss respondents answers to questions bout retirement living centers by age of respondents.

Willingness to Support Retirement Living Centers (By Age) Support for retirement living centers is positively related to the age of respondents (older residents were more likely to show support, and less likely to oppose). Even though younger residents (18 – 34) were less likely to support retirement living centers in Nolensville, a significant number (41%) support retirement living centers, and only 19% oppose retirement living centers.

Willingness to Live in a Retirement Living Center in Nolensville (By Age) Even though older residents were more likely to consider living in a retirement living center in Nolensville, a majority (59%) of younger residents would consider living in a retirement living center in Nolensville.

Now we would like to ask you for your opinions about MASS TRANSIT BUSSES running to and from Nolensville. If a "Park & Ride" type bus service were offered that connected Nolensville to other areas, such as Cool Springs, Franklin and Nashville, would you be interested in using this type of Park & Ride bus service? The majority of respondents would be interested in using a Park & Ride bus service connecting Nolensville to surrounding areas. This result needs to be considered with caution, given the recent sharp rise in gasoline prices. Positive attitudes toward mass transit could be merely a response to such price increases. Residents might become less receptive to mass transit if gas prices begin to fall.

Do You Need a Larger Sample?

No. The following tables illustrate that a larger sample is not required. In fact, you will notice that the results from Monday evening (based on a sample size = 133) do not change much compared to the results from Tuesday evening (based on the total sample size = 228). This is the nature of representative random sampling. If you begin with a representative sample derived from random selection, increasing the sample size will lead to greater confidence in the estimates, but will not lead to significantly different results. Increasing the sample size (while maintaining the same methodology) will only lead to more of the same types of answers. Moreover, even if the results (percent responses to individual questions) do change slightly with a larger sample, your conclusions based on those results will most likely not change.

Results from Monday Evening Compared to the Results from the Total Sample on Tuesday Evening What businesses would you like to see come to Nolensville? Monday evening (n=133) Tuesday evening (n=228) Fast Food (yes, & regular customer) 47%49% National Chain Rest. (yes, & regular customer) 71%72% Independently Owned Unique Rest. (yes, & regular customer) 71% Food Markets (yes, & regular customer) 62%66% Professional Services (yes, & regular customer) 25%24% Medical Care Services (yes, & regular customer) 46%49% Personal Care Services (yes, & regular customer) 43%45%

Results from Monday Evening Compared to the Results from the Total Sample on Tuesday Evening Where would you like to see the following businesses located? Monday evening (n=133) Tuesday evening (n=228) Fast Food (near center of town) 44%43% National Chain Rest. (near center of town) 54%51% Independently Owned Unique Rest. (near center of town) 69% Food Markets (near center of town) 61%62% Professional Services (near center of town) 54%48% Medical Care Services (near center of town) 49%50% Personal Care Services (near center of town) 59%56%

Results from Monday Evening Compared to the Results from the Total Sample on Tuesday Evening Monday evening (n=133) Tuesday evening (n=228) Would you be willing to park and walk to new businesses? (yes) 76%77% Should bike paths connecting businesses be built? (yes) 83%82% How often would you use bike paths connecting businesses? (few times per month or more often) 72%73% Should bike paths connecting neighborhoods be built? (yes) 80%79% How often would you use bike paths connecting neighborhoods? (few times per month or more often) 69%68%

Results from Monday Evening Compared to the Results from the Total Sample on Tuesday Evening Monday evening (n=133) Tuesday evening (n=228) Should Nolensville build a Town Center? (yes) 83%86% Would you be willing to park and walk to the Town Center? (yes) 80%82% Would you favor or oppose retirement living centers in Nolensville? (favor) 68%63% Would you consider living in a retirement living center in Nolensville? (yes) 64%62% Would you be interested in using a Park & Ride bus service? (yes) 58%56%

Summary / Conclusions

Overall, it appears that Nolensville residents support the growth of commercial and retail businesses in Nolensville. However, there is still a minority of residents who are opposed to growth of any kind and would like to see Nolensville stay small. However, their resistance to commercial and retail growth can be eased by assuring them that any future growth will be managed, e.g., through strict adherence to the new architectural design standards recently passed. Nolensville residents are very interested in seeing new restaurants come to town – especially national chain restaurants and independently owned (unique) restaurants. Most residents would like to see new restaurants located near the center of town. Residents show less support for new fast food restaurants, although approximately half of residents would likely be regular customers of fast food restaurants. Residents are fairly evenly split on the preferred location of new fast food restaurants, with slightly more wanting to see fast food restaurants located outside of the center of town. Concerns about the appearance of fast food restaurants in the center of town can be eased by strict adherence to the architectural design standards recently passed.

Summary / Conclusions There also appears to be strong support for bringing a food market / grocery store back to the center of Nolensville – to fill the gap created by the departure of the old Piggly Wiggly. Most residents are willing to park their cars and walk to any new businesses that open near the center of town. There is overwhelming support for building bicycle and walking paths that connect businesses and neighborhoods in Nolensville. In fact, more than two-thirds of residents would likely use such paths at least a few times per month, or more often. There is also strong support for building a Town Center near the center of Nolensville that contains a variety of retail businesses and professional / personal services.

Summary / Conclusions A majority of residents (56%) would be interested in using a Park & Ride mass transit bus service that connects Nolensville to surrounding areas. There is also support for building a retirement living center in Nolensville. Almost two-thirds of residents (63%) would support such a retirement living center, whereas only 5% of residents would actively oppose it. Further, almost two-thirds (62%) of residents would consider living in a retirement living center in Nolensville. Overall, Nolensville residents are very receptive to the idea of retail and commercial business growth in Nolensville.

The Survey The following is the paper & pencil (self-administered) version of the survey that was made available at the Nolensville Town Hall to all Nolensville residents following the telephone surveys.

Text of Open-Ended Responses Respondents were also given an opportunity to suggest new business, if any, that they would like to see come to Nolensville. The following is a list of all suggestions made by respondents. Note: The Respondent Number column merely indicates which respondent made that comment. It does not indicate the number of respondents making that comment.