The Planning Commission recommended rezoning a parcel along Bill Smith Drive from Commercial Highway with Gateway Design Overlay 1 to a Planned Commercial District (PCD) to allow a new roughly 7,500-square-foot vehicle service/maintenance building to support Toyota of Murfreesboro.

Planning staff described the proposed building as additional service and vehicle preparation space for the dealership’s main facility; the site is not intended to accept customer drop-offs directly. "This current site is being used as excess inventory storage for Toyota of Murfreesboro. The purpose of this building would be additional auto repair and maintenance and vehicle preparation space for their main facility located to the East," planning staff said.

Since the application was last before the commission, the plan book added two exceptions: one to exempt the building from a 35 percent void-space exterior-elevation requirement and a second to reduce the required planting strip between drive aisles and the building from 10 feet to 5 feet. Staff said the property’s future land-use designation is general commercial and recommended approval because the requested use and zoning align with surrounding commercial development patterns and the Murfreesboro 2035 comprehensive plan.

No members of the public spoke at the public hearing. After discussion and a presentation from Bridal Grover (SCC), commissioners moved to approve the rezoning "subject to staff comments." The motion passed on a roll-call vote.

The vote forwards a recommendation to City Council; staff noted site lighting will comply with city standards, signage will direct on-site loading/unloading, and the architecture has been intentionally modest to avoid attracting customers to the site.