Murfreesboro BZA approves AutoZone special-use permit for 24,000‑sq.‑ft. retail/warehouse at Jackson Heights Plaza

The Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 26 approved special‑use permit Z25002 to allow AutoZone to operate an approximately 24,000‑square‑foot automobile parts retail/warehouse hub at 810 Northwest Broad Street (Jackson Heights Plaza), voting 5‑0.

Staff told the board the tenant space is roughly 24,000 square feet, with about 2,400 square feet proposed as traditional front‑facing retail and roughly 19,000 square feet proposed for warehousing and support functions. The applicant proposed store hours of 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday. Staff recommended approval but proposed conditions to address buffering, outdoor storage, loading and the proposed battery‑testing parking area.

Why it matters: the permit converts a large retail footprint into a retail/warehouse hybrid that will bring additional truck deliveries and customer activity into a congested corner of Jackson Heights Plaza near Medical Center Parkway and Jones Boulevard. Board members focused much of their discussion on site circulation, truck routing and safety where customer vehicles will be serviced for courtesy items such as battery testing.

Key details and board direction

- Use and layout: The applicant proposes a 24,000‑square‑foot tenant space within an existing shopping center. The interior program as presented includes about 2,400 square feet of traditional retail, about 19,000 square feet of warehousing, and support areas. Staff said semi‑trailers will make inbound deliveries to an existing dock at the rear of the building (access off Jones Boulevard). The applicant also proposed four marked “battery‑test” parking spaces for brief, courtesy services.

- Conditions recommended and adopted: Staff recommended and the board approved conditions requiring continuation of a Type C buffer around a new dumpster enclosure, restricting any outdoor storage to the rear of the building and screened per the Murfreesboro zoning ordinance and design guidelines, and prohibiting on‑site repairs other than the limited courtesy services customarily offered at AutoZone locations. Staff emphasized that BZA approval does not substitute for site‑plan approval; any site improvements must go through the city’s site‑plan review under the Murfreesboro zoning ordinance and design guidelines.

- Truck routing and access: Board members repeatedly raised concerns about multiple curb cuts, confusing circulation in the rear of the center and conflicts with existing tenants (including a dance studio and other rear tenants). As part of the approval motion the board directed staff to work with the applicant on the final site plan to limit truck access to Jones Boulevard where practical, to address ingress/egress at the Medical Center Parkway curb cuts, and to add signage/striping or other measures (for example, no‑left‑turn signage) if needed to reduce unsafe turning movements.

- Battery‑testing area safety and parking dimensions: Members questioned whether the four proposed battery‑test stalls provided enough depth and circulation for employees to safely move carts between vehicles if cars park “nose‑to‑nose.” The board asked staff and the applicant to explore options such as wheel stops, reconfigured stall layouts (single‑depth rather than face‑to‑face), striping, or increased stall depth so the area functions as a safe, accessible courtesy‑service zone. Staff noted typical modern parking dimensions are 8 by 20 feet; the existing site showed some spaces more shallow (around 8 by 17 feet), so the final site plan must address compliance and safety.

- Accessibility and pedestrian safety: The applicant will provide a raised ADA crosswalk between the building and the test‑parking area; board members urged that crosswalks and other pedestrian routes be clearly marked and, if necessary, raised to slow vehicles and improve safety.

Applicant and staff comments

Planning staff presented the application and said, “Staff recommends approval of the special‑use permit because it meets the general standards of applicability and specific use standards for automotive retail hybrid hub uses.” David Bentley, an AutoZone representative, told the board the company does not intend to use the Murfreesboro site to resupply other AutoZone stores and that deliveries to other stores are not part of this application.

Vote and next steps

A motion to approve the special‑use permit with direction that staff work through site‑plan details (truck routing, battery‑testing area safety, walkway striping and related items) carried 5‑0 on a roll call of the five members present. The BZA approval is for the special‑use permit only; the applicant must submit a site plan for separate review and approval under the Murfreesboro zoning ordinance and design guidelines before construction or operational changes that require site improvements can proceed.

The board’s action included explicit direction that staff work with the applicant on final site‑plan circulation, signage and safety measures so those elements do not have to return to the BZA unless the board requests it.