Downtown-area property owners, residents, business owners, community leaders and interested stakeholders are invited to participate in a Public Open House on Monday, September 12, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., at The Visitors Center at Oaklands Mansion, 901 North Maney Avenue, in the Maney Reception Hall. The Public Open House will consist of an informal come-and-go format with a brief presentation beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The purpose of the Public Open House is to receive input and feedback from the public regarding preliminary concepts for the North Highland Avenue Planning Study area. The preliminary concepts include land use areas and potential development scenarios, which have been developed after several months of collaboration with the public, listening to the community's ideas and direction through small group sessions, a visioning workshop, and logging and reviewing dozens of comments from social media. These preliminary concepts will be presented at the Public Open House via a series of information stations.

Each information station will be staffed with a planning professional who can explain the information and then answer questions and respond to ideas and comments. This input will be documented to be included in the creation of a draft plan.

The North Highland Avenue Planning Study area is near downtown Murfreesboro, extending north of the downtown square from the intersection of East Clark Boulevard and North Highland Avenue south to Lytle Street, east along Lytle Street to Middle Tennessee Boulevard and west along Lytle Street to Northwest Broad Street.

"Having a Public Open House like this gives the stakeholders a chance to review the preliminary concepts and findings for the study and react to them, ask questions, make comments and provide more direction to the City and its consultants as this plan continues to evolve," said Matthew Blomeley, AICP, Principal Planner for the City of Murfreesboro and lead

Murfreesboro planner for this project. "The study area includes two very important streets---Highland and Lytle---between downtown Murfreesboro and MTSU, and we believe this is a vital area to our city's future growth."

After Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital moved to the Gateway area, several medical offices followed, leaving an inventory of empty buildings. With the Murfreesboro Police Department moving into the former Murfreesboro Medical Clinic facilities and MTSU purchasing the Bell Street building, reinvestment is already occurring.

"We see incredible opportunity in this corridor," added Blomeley. "The final plan for the study area will direct public and private efforts to revitalize and attract businesses, retail, arts and entertainment to our downtown. We hope to have a great turnout at the Public Open House and lots of engagement and ideas."