BZA approves variance for 54‑square‑foot mechanical room at Hartland fuel facility on Park Avenue

The City of Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals on May 28 approved a variance to reduce the required 42‑foot front setback to 19 feet for property at 831 Park Avenue, allowing construction of an approximately 54‑square‑foot mechanical room on the front of an existing industrial building.

The variance will permit a small roofed enclosure to house secondary electrical equipment Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) requires to support increased on‑site power demands at the Hartland Company fuel production facility. The structure was approved by a 5–0 roll call vote after the board considered staff analysis, applicant testimony and a neighbor comment.

Staff told the board the property is a preexisting nonconforming lot: the building dates to about 1980 while the relevant setback standards were adopted in 1983, and neighboring heavy industrial parcels also encroach into the front setback. Planning staff also…