Murfreesboro council approves Cherry Lane corridor study, allows two in-city parcels to proceed through planning

The Murfreesboro City Council on March 27 approved a Cherry Lane corridor study that will analyze land use and transportation alternatives between Interstate 840 and Interstate 24 and voted to allow two in‑city parcels — plus properties already entitled under current zoning — to proceed through the city’s planning process while the study is completed.

The study will assess existing conditions, utilities and infrastructure, and transportation scenarios and is intended to produce a master plan and policy recommendations for future annexation, rezoning and infrastructure commitments. Staff said the consultant team expects to complete the study in about nine months.

Consultant Kevin Gunther of Reagan Smith told the council the project will cover a broad area and will pair land‑use scenario work with detailed transportation modeling and geometry. Gunther said the work will include high‑level demand modeling followed by more detailed scenario modeling for interstate and interchange operations and corridor geometry. Brady Yarbrough of Kimley‑Horn is part of the technical transportation team.

Council discussion focused on fairness to a private developer with advance engineering work and on ensuring the study captures infrastructure constraints and the state Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) requirements. Multiple council members said they wanted the property owner allowed to pursue the normal planning process rather than being held in a development pause, while also keeping the parcel inside the corridor study so the study can incorporate connectivity and interchange planning.

City staff said the study’s land‑use component is critical because proposed densities and access patterns on large parcels could generate travel demand the existing road network cannot accommodate if not planned in concert with infrastructure changes. Staff noted previous recent changes in TDOT direction affecting the corridor and said integrating the study with developers’ submittals will be iterative.

Council moved and approved language allowing the two in‑city parcels identified by staff and other properties that already hold zoning entitlements to proceed through the planning and site‑plan process (while remaining within the study area). Council also directed staff to require developers to provide traffic studies that align with the city’s work and to coordinate submittals so study and development processes can proceed concurrently where feasible. The formal vote was unanimous.

The study team said the final deliverable could be adopted for policy and inform annexation, rezoning and infrastructure funding decisions once the study is complete and the council considers its recommendations.