Murfreesboro lawmakers file bill to allow moratorium on apartment complex development
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two Republican lawmakers who serve Murfreesboro and Rutherford County have filed legislation that would allow the Rutherford County Commission to halt all development of apartment complexes.
SB 1098/HB 1161, filed by Sen. Dawn White and Rep. Robert Stevens, authorizes a local government to impose a moratorium on the development of apartment complexes if they wish and pass it with a two-thirds majority vote.
The moratorium would only apply to counties with a population of at least 325,000, according to the 2020 census or a subsequent federal census; the provision would not apply to any county with a metropolitan form of government.
According to U.S. Census data, the only counties in Tennessee with a population of at least 325,000 were Rutherford, Hamilton, Knox, Davidson, and Shelby. Since Davidson County has a metropolitan government, it would be excluded from the provision.
According to the text of the bill, the moratorium could be imposed if the county legislative body adopts the resolution. The moratorium would be 'limited to one (1) year in duration,' the bill says, but that year-long moratorium could be extended by the county authority upon another two-thirds majority vote. The extensions would also be limited to one year, but there is no limit to how many extensions the county legislative body could pass.
Smyrna High School celebrates new space on campus
The bill's text also specifies an 'apartment complex' means a 'building or group of buildings for multi-family use within the same development containing twenty-five (25) or more individual dwelling units for residents.'
If passed, the law would take effect immediately upon receiving Gov. Bill Lee's signature.
The measure comes as Rutherford County is seeing explosive growth. According to the Tennessee State Data Center in the University of Tennessee Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, Rutherford County saw more than a 30% growth in population from 2010 to 2020. It was listed as the fifth-largest county in the state in the 2020 federal census, according to the Boyd Center.
Murfreesboro city officials recently approved a nearly $5 million road improvement project. The project includes adding turn and through lanes and a traffic signal at the intersection of Burnt Knob, Manson Pike and Blackman Road. A new elementary school is set to open in August, followed by a new middle school.
READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County
Smyrna High School celebrated a new addition to its campus to accommodate an influx of students earlier this year. The new wing has 39 new classrooms that replace 19 older portable buildings used for schooling. The increased capacity is around 2,500 students, according to Rutherford County Schools (RCS) Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan.
La Vergne High School also submitted a request for expansion later in the year to the Rutherford County Commission. In October, RCS sent the commission an approximately $40 million funding request to build an annex onto the high school.
La Vergne High School annex vote comes to Rutherford County School Board
The annex will be roughly 100,00 square feet in space and increase the school's capacity to about 2,600 students, according to the school board.
RCS spokesman James Evans said the Rutherford County Commission approved the funding request.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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