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Council votes to pause development across Cherry Lane corridor for up to nine months pending master plan study
Summary
The Murfreesboro City Council voted unanimously Feb. 13 to suspend development approvals in a broad Cherry Lane/I-24 corridor area for roughly six to nine months while staff advances a master plan examining transportation, utilities and floodplain constraints.
The Murfreesboro City Council voted on Feb. 13 to pause development approvals across a broad corridor around Cherry Lane and the I-24 interchange while the city pursues a comprehensive master plan to coordinate transportation, utilities and floodplain constraints.
Darren (city staff development lead) and planning staff told the council the pause responds to uncertainty created by the Tennessee Department of Transportation's "choice lane" project for I-24 and by other physical constraints including CSX railroad alignment, Overall Creek, West Fork Stones River and extensive 100-year floodplain in the corridor. Staff said piecemeal permitting could leave the city with a mismatched road and utility network if the interchange concept changes.
"We just feel like this is a 50-year decision," Darren said, urging a city-led, macro-scale master plan rather than a series of micro-scale approvals. He added the corridor contains large undeveloped tracts that could produce thousands of units under current zoning and that an interchange change would affect land use appropriateness.
Councilmember Jim (surname not specified in transcript) and other council members described recent discussions with TDOT and told the council they had been warned that some intersection designs could be inadequate decades out without major additional roadwork. The council discussed a limited exception process: staff said areas with existing sewer and unaffected transportation access (for example, a portion of the Waldron property highlighted in staff slides) could proceed and would be brought forward individually.
Councilmember (name recorded as) made a motion to suspend development approvals for the corridor for a six- to nine-month period; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all council members recorded as "Aye." During the vote Mayor Mary McFarland asked staff to prepare a firm timeline for communications to the development community and stakeholders.
Staff said it expects to bring a consultant proposal within weeks and that a formal master plan could take approximately six to nine months to complete once it begins; staff later said the calendar could stretch to about nine months by the time the city issues and reviews the consultant work. Several council members emphasized the need for a clear public communications plan so property owners and developers know the scope and length of the pause.
The council's motion creates a temporary moratorium on approval activity in the study area while staff and an outside consultant team evaluate alternative interchange and circulation scenarios, utility needs and floodplain constraints. Staff emphasized that certain parcels with established access and sewer could still be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Darren told councilors he will prepare a communications memo and a timeline for the council to review before staff begins widespread outreach to the development community.
The motion passed on a roll call recorded in the meeting transcript with the following recorded votes: Gail Harris — Yes; Vice Mayor Schacklett — Yes; Mr. Wade — Aye; Mr. Wright — Aye; Mayor Mary McFarland — Aye.
