The holidays are not stopping and the new requests made their way to the floor Thursday evening at the weekly Murfreesboro City Council meeting. Many of these requests had to do with re-zoning and annexing more parking into commercial space areas.

One request has asked to change the parking lot standards for commercial center use and restaurant use. There is a minimum requirement for businesses in how much parking they MUST have. An amendment would change the minimum requirements for smaller stores and stores that share parking lots...

Restaurants bring in the most reasons for parking, however eating is not the only reason people go to shopping centers. Many times there is multitasking involved...

Mayor Shane McFarland believes this is a great idea...

This request has passed the first hearing in City Council.

A new apartment complex may be coming off of West Thompson Lane. This request ask to re-zone the area from a residential area to a planned residential area. This complex would contain 34 single family units, mainly for empty nester families. The home owners would own the houses but not the land, and participate in H.O.A. rules for the gated community..

However there is some debate due to traffic conditions on Thomspon Lane and TDOT plans to expand the road....

The request was passed through the first hearing.

Tennessee State Legislature also passed an amendment on adopting a policy regarding approval for development plans for purposes of the attachment of vested property rights. This would allow the property owners and project developers three years to work no their project without any chance of government interrupting their process by annexation or re-zoning. Murfreesboro has to adopt some form of the new policy, but tonight's discussion was about they wanted to keep. The City Council adopting the policy and is effective immediately.