Ground-Breaking Today At Site for Vesta

By Ron Caldwell
– The Collierville Herald –

Representatives with the Memphis Area Homebuilders Association and the Town of Collierville are scheduled to break ground today (Thursday) at 2 p.m. at the Neighborhood of Schilling Farms, the site of the 1999 Vesta Home Show.

As first announced in The Herald, the show, which annually draws about 30,000 visitors, will take place at the 443-acre and $350 million development, which is a joint venture between Harry Smith, chairman of Schilling, Inc. and Boyle Investment Company.

It was announced this week that the International Children’s Heart Foundation, a non-profit group that provides cardiac surgery and other critical care for children around the world, will be the designated charity for this year’s Vesta Show.

Schilling Farms, when finished, will feature an upscale residential section, apartments, an office park, warehouse space, an assisted living facility, the Collierville YMCA, a child care facility, a new middle school and a park land area.

Schilling Farms has a reported price tag of $350 million which includes 116 acres of commercial with 1.26 million square feet, 43 acres of office with 749,232 square feet, and 123 acres of light industrial with 2.41 million square feet.

The Vesta Home Show traditionally features seven homes designed and built by seven Registered Builders, one of the top designations given in the home-building industry.

Vesta began in 1984 as a means of promoting the work of area builders and suppliers.