(Murfreesboro, TN) As Murfreesboro’s growth continues to outpace many nearby cities, proposals for more and more high-density housing developments will be heard before city officials. Inevitably, some of these housing proposals will be on the outskirts of older neighborhoods that equal a stark contrast to existing homes and subdivisions.  

During a Murfreesboro City Council Meeting this past week (Dec. 8, 2022), a lot of residents showed up to voice their concerns over a newly proposed subdivision. A developer presented plans to build houses on land that backs the Regency Park Subdivision, a neighborhood that has long been a part of the local landscape near Haynes Drive and Memorial Boulevard… That was Murfreesboro Vice Mayor Bill Shacklett. The proposal focuses on 34.2-acres of land that is west of Memorial Boulevard. 

The planned residential development (PRD), known as Northridge Park, calls for homes that are a minimum of 2,350 square feet in size on 96-lots that are between 10,000 and 12,000 square feet in size. Many of the existing homes in neighboring Regency Park are between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet in size and sit on lots that are 22,000 square feet in size, or roughly double the size of the lots in the proposed Northridge Park.

The Vice Mayor suggested more work needs to be done before Northridge can be approved… Many of the homes in Regency Park were built over 40-years-ago.

Shacklett confirmed the proposed homes were presented as high-quality structures and the council turning down the request from the developer was not about the new homes diminishing the value of existing homes, but instead… As proposed, each home would have a required driveway that could accommodate a minimum of 4-cars.

An interesting sidenote to the proposal was the developer’s intent to restrict the future homes from being turned into rental units directly after they are built, which has been another concern for residents in Murfreesboro. For Northridge, the developer proposed a moratorium of at least 2-years on homeowners being allowed to rent-out their property. The proposed neighborhood will likely be re-presented to the council as plans are worked and re-worked. 

Read more news about the growth of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County HERE. 

Below: More details on the proposed Northridge Park