MURFREESBORO, TN - The development known as One East College, which is a multi-acre mixed-use project that was planned for downtown Murfreesboro, has seen little to no progress in years... That was Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland. The site of the proposed mixed-use facility sits at the intersection of East College and North Church Streets just one block from the historic Rutherford County Square,

In 2019, the Murfreesboro City Council paved the way for a developer to purchase what was the original home to First United Methodist Church. In doing so, the development company agreed to preserve the original church bell tower and sanctuary that dates back to 1888. But, because the project has been paused for so long, the bell-tower and sanctuary have likely deteriorated. The mayor suggested the builder will have to bring those two structures up-to-par, regardless of “If” the project continues or not...

Over 4-years ago, plans for the mixed use development included over 200 residential units, office and retail space, along with restaurants and a parking garage. The number of residential units later dropped to just over one-hundred and fifty units. There were also plans to build a one-hundred-and-ten room hotel on the land.

Mayor McFarland commented that city officials approved the development of One East College with good intention, not knowing it stall. He further said...

When asked if visitors to the downtown square could at the very least start using the old First Methodist Church parking lot again, the mayor said no...

Today, the project appears to be at a complete standstill and the mayor remains outspoken for his distaste in the lack of progress... WGNS will continue to follow the development and keep listeners informed on what will happen next.

See a previous news article HERE on the mixed-use structure that looks to be paused, if not completely dead.