Murfreesboro zoning board approves St. Caris church expansion with fence, buffer and conditions

The Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals approved an amendment to the special use permit for Saint Caris Coptic Orthodox Church to allow a two‑story, approximately 12,220‑square‑foot Sunday school and office building, additional parking and associated site work on property at 1207 and 1227 Southeast Broad Street.

Holly Smith, principal planner for the City of Murfreesboro, told the board the application seeks an amendment to an existing institutional group assembly use in an RS‑15 single‑family zone and that staff recommended approval if the applicant meets standard conditions. "In the packet, page 9, staff's recommendations would be approval based on meeting the development standards of the ordinance with the following recommendations," Smith said, listing requirements the board incorporated into its approval.

The board’s approval includes: consolidation of the three subject parcels by final plat before a certificate of occupancy; submission and staff approval of a final site plan (civil, landscape, photometrics and building elevations) before building permits; driveway access subject to Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) review; and a requirement that the project meet the city’s development, parking and design standards. The permit also allows an accessory rooftop stair enclosure that exceeds the 35‑foot height standard as part of the special use review.

Neighbors raised noise, lighting, trash and pedestrian‑traffic concerns during the public hearing. Kaysan Pomsuban, who lives next door to the proposed site, asked the board for a privacy fence and said, "I would like to ask to see if they can put up some kind of fencing along with the 12 feet landscape on that side." Andrea Stafford, a Todd Court resident, said the site is used frequently and described ongoing noise, trash and children playing, saying, "I'm not against the church expanding, but ... they're at capacity. They're over capacity. ... The noise is just undescribable."

In response to those public comments, the board added a requirement for a 6‑foot solid vinyl privacy fence (no gate) around the south and east property lines and specified that the Type C landscape buffer be provided adjacent to single‑family properties where the expansion occurs. The board also asked that the applicant address lighting and circulation in the site plan; staff noted standard photometric expectations (generally no more than 0.5 foot‑candles at property lines) and that the submitted photometric plan shows levels at or below standard at the property line.

Applicant representatives explained the project aims to relieve classroom space and parking constraints at the church. A representative said the main sanctuary seats about 520; the zoning standard is one parking space per eight seats, which equates to 65 spaces. Smith said the site currently has 69 on‑site spaces; the application proposes an additional 20 parking spaces (16 regular spaces and four ADA spaces) to increase available parking for concurrent sanctuary and Sunday school activities.

The board’s motion approved staff recommendations and the privacy fence requirement. The roll call vote was recorded as four ayes and the permit was approved. The board noted TDOT retains jurisdiction over Broad Street right‑of‑way work and driveway permits, and the city’s noise ordinance enforcement is handled by the Murfreesboro Police Department.

The BZA directed staff to ensure the final plat and site plan demonstrate compliance with the conditions the board adopted and left detailed fence placement and final buffer configuration to be coordinated with staff during site‑plan review. The board emphasized the fence and buffer were intended to address the adverse impacts described in public comment (noise, pedestrian cut‑throughs and trash) but did not predetermine maintenance or future uses of the adjacent parcels.