MURFREESBORO, TN - One East College, a downtown Murfreesboro development project that incorporates land once occupied by the original First United Methodist Church, appears to be moving forward once again…

The project had previously faced a significant pause when demolition began around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and was later halted. Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland recently discussed renewed progress and revisions to the project during an interview on WGNS…

Developers have continued working with city officials and emphasized that ongoing inspections are being conducted to ensure the older portion of the structure can be re-utilized and has remained structurally sound…

Plans to incorporate the historic bell tower from the former church site along East College Street—across from the Center for the Arts—remain unchanged, consistent with discussions held when developers originally purchased the property from the city...

In closing, Mayor McFarland said the project continues to move ahead with updated plans… At this time, the hotel component that was originally proposed as part of the development is on hold and does not appear to be included in the current plans. In fact, the Mayor said that the hotel, as part of One East College, was removed from plans by developers in around 2021.

However, the proposed hotel for the Keystone Project at the intersection of Broad and S. Church St., is STILL on GO, but it looks to be a part of Phase 3 of the plans. That future hotel will likely be closer to the intersection of Broad and Vine Street's. 

WGNS will continue to follow updates on the future development of One East College.