Residents in Murfreesboro's Blackman community are uneasy about the city's plan to rezone a portion of land slated for a park to commercial use.
Mayor Shane McFarland met with around 50 people from the Berkshire neighborhood on Sunday to offer insight about reasons why the Murfreesboro City Council plans to rezone all but 15 acres of the 123 acres along Blackman, Vaughn and Burnt Knob roads initially planned for recreational use.
In 2016, the council bought the property for $4.9 million. Now, city leaders say the property is better suited as a site to create jobs due to its location near Interstate 840.
At the same time the city was looking at sites for potential parks, growth in the area warranted the need for additional schools. Sites previously earmarked for parks were repurposed for schools and a much-needed fire station, McFarland explained.