The Next Case: Follow the Money -- Athens Marketplace (T.J. Maxx)

Editor’s Note: This is an opinion piece supported entirely by public records, specifically the City of Athens Council meeting minutes from June 6, 2022, and April 24, 2023. Everything cited here was documented, approved, and voted on in open meetings — and yes, I read every page

The Promise of Progress

When T.J. Maxx was first announced for Athens, residents were thrilled. New shopping options. National brands. Another sign that our small town was “on the map.”

But behind the excitement was one of the largest retail incentive packages in Athens history. A $5.7 million deal between the City of Athens and Noon Athens P3 LLC, the developer of the new shopping center along Highway 72 near I-65.

At the time, local media praised the project as a sign of “tremendous growth.”

The final version of the deal, approved by the City Council in April 2023, promised $5.7 million in payments, split into three installments, along with city-funded infrastructure and signal improvements for the development.

The Fine Print Few Read

Under the final agreement, the City committed to paying the developer three installments of $1.9 million each. One at opening, one after a year, and another after two years if the project remained open and in good standing.

In addition to those direct payments, the City funded traffic signalization and infrastructure improvements, taxpayer dollars poured into the site before a single item was sold.

What’s often missed is who actually receives the money. It doesn’t go to T.J. Maxx, Ulta, or Five Below. It goes to the developer, Noon Athens P3 LLC. The national retailers are simply tenants.

The Switch-Up: From Old Navy to Ross

When the project was first announced, the city boasted about a tenant lineup that included Old Navy. But when the deal was finalized, Old Navy was nowhere to be found. The amended agreement listed T.J. Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Rack Room Shoes, Ulta Beauty, and Five Below.

Buried in the fine print was a clause that allowed the developer to receive the full incentive even if only four out of five anchor stores actually opened.

In short, Old Navy never had to show up for the developer to get paid.

Who Really Got the Deal

While the city promoted the incentive as a win for retail growth, it’s clear who actually benefited: the developer, not the companies.

There’s no record showing that T.J. Maxx, Ulta, or any of the other stores received their own abatements. They chose Athens because it’s already an attractive and growing city.

The real windfall went to the developer who owned the land, built the project, and will continue to collect rent from the same businesses the city used as justification for the incentives.

Athens paid the developer to build it, paid again to prepare the infrastructure, and now watches that same developer collect rent from the tenants. The same tenants’ taxpayers were told were being “helped.”

That’s not economic development. That’s triple dipping.

City-funded incentives.
City-funded infrastructure.
Private rent revenue.

All flowing to the same place.

Dang!! That’s a sweet deal.

If We Can Fund Developers…

And here’s the part that stings a little.
If we can find $5.7 million for developers, fund new roads for chain stores, and cut rebate checks for companies that would’ve come here anyway, then why can’t we find the money to fix Strain Road?

That community has waited years for drainage, sidewalks, and basic infrastructure, while Athens keeps writing checks to developers who already have plenty.

Maybe if the folks on Strain Road had an LLC and a rendering board presentation, they’d have gotten a ribbon cutting by now.

We keep calling it “economic development,” but shouldn’t development start where people already live?

Follow the Money

It’s no secret that Ming Enterprises is behind many of the major developments in Athens. Public records link Ming to Wescorp LLC, which is affiliated with the Noon Athens P3 project. His name appears on countless commercial listings across town. Except, ironically, the still-empty Shoppes at Lindsay Lane.

And now, Ming’s sign is showing up again, this time connected to the new Olive Garden project off Athens-Limestone Boulevard.

Once again, the city has approved a tax rebate for a Ming-backed development, while local restaurants and long-standing small businesses operate without a fraction of that support.

Different LLCs. Different names.
But often, the same people, and the same pipeline of public money.

The Bottom Line

Athens doesn’t lack for opportunity or growth. It lacks transparency and fairness.

Each time a new deal rolls through, it’s celebrated as progress, but behind every “public-private partnership,” the same small circle of developers continues to profit while local businesses fight uphill without support.

No one’s against growth. But growth should serve the community, not those sitting closest to City Hall’s backroom tables.

Because when you really follow the money in Athens, it always seems to lead to the same names

The T.J. Maxx project showed us how to follow the money. But what happens when the city starts moving the finish line altogether?
Stay tuned, because the next case has an Ace in the hole. And for those who already know… you know.