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Commission approves annexation of 93.6 acres on Manchester Pike but defers Scannell Properties’ PID zoning after transition and buffering concerns
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Summary
The Planning Commission approved annexation of about 93.6 acres along Manchester Pike and forwarded it to council, but after extensive debate over transitions, screening and building placement, commissioners accepted the applicant’s request to defer the simultaneous PID zoning application so the developer can revise building designations and buffering plans.
The Murfreesboro Planning Commission on Feb. 4 voted to approve annexation of roughly 93.6 acres along Manchester Pike and roughly 3,150 linear feet of Manchester Pike right‑of‑way, but deferred a simultaneous Planned Industrial Development (PID) zoning decision for the property after commissioners and members of the public raised concerns about transitions to adjacent residential areas, buffers and sight lines.
Staff planner Miss Smith explained the annexation and the proposed PID use table, saying the site includes four parcels and that the city had obtained written consent from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the Manchester Pike segment of the annexation. Smith told the commission the city’s major transportation plan shows a future five‑lane roadway along Manchester Pike and that the project will require coordination on sewer connections, potential pump stations and fire‑flow capacity. She also flagged a critical agreement with Prologis to dedicate a small wedge of property so Elam Farms Parkway can be realigned; without that agreement, Smith said, the project "could not move forward because it would basically take out a lot of the building area."
Scannell Properties’ presenter Chad Grama and development director Tom Carey described a three‑phase plan for four buildings, with the first two buildings intended as smaller 'flex' spaces and Buildings 3 and 4 larger tenant spaces. Carey said the applicant intends to preserve wetlands and leave about 23% of the site as open space and that outdoor storage would be limited to concrete dock aprons for short periods during operations. "The temporary storage is really just meant to provide prospective users with some flexibility around outdoor storage," Carey said, explaining the proposal would limit temporary storage to the first 60 feet of a truck court and prohibit long‑term outdoor yards.
Commissioners and members of the public pressed for protections and transitions. Commissioner Wright said many homeowners across the street are opposed to warehousing adjacent to residences and warned about property‑value impacts: "I just can't get down with that," he said, arguing the plan did not provide a suitable transition from industrial to residential uses. Staff and the applicant proposed mitigation options including reassigning uses between the buildings so lighter, quasi‑commercial uses sit closest to Manchester Pike; adding berms and denser landscaping in the type‑E buffer; flipping Building 3 into the lighter use district; and orienting dock doors away from the road where feasible. Miss Smith also noted that as a PID the use table is fixed by the PID approval but that individual site plans would return to the Planning Commission for design review.
After discussion, the applicant requested a referral to allow time for revisions and further coordination; the chair accepted the request. The commission then took a roll‑call vote to grant the deferral. Earlier in the meeting, with no public speakers on the annexation item, the commission had closed the annexation public hearing and approved the annexation by roll call. Both the annexation approval and the zoning deferral were recorded as unanimous among commissioners present.
Next steps: the annexation will proceed to the City Council for final action and the applicant will return the PID zoning application to the Planning Commission at a later date after revising the use table and addressing screening, building orientation and buffer options. Staff reiterated the project remains contingent on securing necessary permits from TDOT and federal agencies for wetland impacts and on the agreement with Prologis that will allow the Elam Farms Parkway alignment.
