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Murfreesboro BZA approves accessory apartment at 1531 Cason Trail with privacy-fence condition
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved a special-use permit for a 700-square-foot accessory apartment at 1531 Cason Trail on Feb. 25, 2026, adding a condition requiring a privacy fence and standard restrictions limiting occupancy to family members.
The Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 25 approved a special-use permit for an accessory apartment at 1531 Cason Trail, adding a condition that the property be screened by a privacy fence and imposing standard staff conditions.
City planning staff presented the application, saying, “This application is for an accessory apartment. It is proposed to be 700 square feet and will go in the rear of this home,” and recommended a restriction-of-land-use document limiting occupancy to family members and several site improvements, including a driveway extension and a walkway to the accessory unit.
Why it matters: the board framed the conditions as safeguards against converting accessory units into separate rental dwellings. Staff emphasized several site limits that preserve the appearance and function of a single-family home: no separate utility meters, no separate mailing address, and an owner-occupancy requirement for one of the dwelling units. The restriction-of-land-use document must be completed and recorded before building permits are issued.
During questions, board members asked whether a walkway and a specific fence type should be shown on the plan. City planning staff said a walkway was not proposed by the applicant and that fence design is reviewed through the fence-permitting process; staff recommended adding the walkway as a condition. Tony Rodriguez, who identified himself as the applicant’s father, told the board the existing wooden fence is in disrepair and the family intends to replace it with a low-maintenance plastic/fiberglass privacy fence after construction is complete: “It needs replacing anyway … we’re wanting to try … just convert it over to the plastic type fiberglass fencing.”
Board debate focused on whether adding a fence requirement on this property would create a binding precedent; staff replied conditions are site-specific. After closing the public hearing (no speakers), a board member moved to approve the permit and add a privacy-fence condition alongside the staff-recommended conditions. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call of the four members present.
Next steps: the applicant must record the restriction-of-land-use document prepared by the city’s legal department and obtain all required building and code permits before construction begins.
