Planning staff: Housing development ‘costs are unduly allocated to existing taxpayers’ – Daily News Journal

Scott Broden, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal Published 12:26 p.m. CT Oct. 5, 2020 | Updated 11:03 a.m. CT Oct. 8, 2020

The River Landing mixed-use development includes 197 townhomes, 95 single family houses and commercial highway development at 5200 NW Broad St. Murfreesboro Daily News Journal

A Northwest Broad Streetdevelopment plan with 292 homes away from most of Murfreesboro won recent City Council zoning approval despite concerns by planning staff.

"The proposed development lies in a small pocket of the city roughly two miles outside the bulk of the citys current boundaries," states a report to the council from Assistant Planning Director Matthew Blomeley. "Extending services police, fire, solid waste, and schools to this medium-density development will stretch the citys resources without adjoining property development that normally mitigates the increased costs. As a result, these costs are unduly allocated to existing taxpayers."

Despite concerns raised by Blomeley, thecouncil in a 6-0 vote backed the revised 78-acre River Landing plan that includes 6.6 acres of commercial highway zoning after developersreduced initial housing plans from 394 to 292 dwellings off the northeast side of Northwest Broad Street opposite Singer Road and south of Florence Road.

Councilman Ronnie Martin said he supported the modified mixed-use plan because the development that includes 197 townhomes will offer "less residential density than the city permits in that zoning and has a commercial front and potential walkability for residents of that community.

This rendering shows what the proposed River Landing subdivision could look like on Northwest Broad Street near Roselawn cemetery.(Photo: Submitted)

New Councilman Shawn Wright said he abstained because he was not present for the previous discussion on the zoning prior to winning election in August. A real estate broker, Wright said he's not involved with the development.

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The plan that also includes 95 single family detached houses would have city services from Fire Station 5 to the west on Florence Road. Firefighters and school bus drivers serving River Landing would face a "railroad crossing that is at times blocked for more than 15 minutes," states the report from Blomeley.

Project engineer Matt Taylor said the development's traffic plan will address the railroad concerns.

The plan will add turn lanes into both of the development's entrances off Northwest Broad Street and a traffic signal at the Singer Road intersection. The signal also will include a camera that can alert drivers and emergency responders about a train blocking the tracks on Singer Road, said Taylor, a civil engineer and vice president at Murfreesboro based SEC (Site Engineering Consultants) Inc.

The development also will provide private trash hauling to reduce the burden on city services, Taylor said.

The plan by developer D.R. Horton Inc. would be on property annexed into the city by council approval April 30. The land is at 5200 NWBroad St.

Taylor said developers responded to initial density issues mentioned by city officials by reducing housing from 5.3 dwellings per acre to about 4.1.

We think that weve addressed those concerns and made our project better at the same time," Taylor said.

Developers added more brick and stone material plans to the home faades, as well as more architectural enhancements to the garage doors that front the neighborhood streets, Taylor said.

This shows one of the house plans for 95 single family detached homes in the River Landing subdivision plan approved by the Murfreesboro City Council Thursday (Oct. 1, 2020).(Photo: Submitted)

The report from the assistant planning directoralso questioned if River Landing homes should be built byNorthstar Industrial Park.

"This application creates an incompatibility where none exists today," the report said.

The development plan includes a 5-foot tall berm anda 50-foot-wide bufferfor the townhomes by the industrial property, said Taylor, adding that people will buy residential property knowing industry is nearby.

The revised plan also moved dwellings from a flood plain, and that will improve the views of the development entry way, including about 800 feet (over a 10th of amile) with no dwellings by Overall Creek, said Taylor, adding that over 50% of the project has open space.

The plan also shows residents havingcanoe and kayak access to the creek.

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Reach reporter Scott Broden at sbroden@dnj.com or 615-278-5158. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.

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Planning staff: Housing development 'costs are unduly allocated to existing taxpayers' - Daily News Journal