Murfreesboro Authorizes Eminent Domain for Cherry Lane Sewer Easement

Murfreesboro Authorizes Eminent Domain for Cherry Lane Sewer EasementThe city council has approved a $37,900 offer to acquire a necessary sewer easement for the Cherry Lane and I-840 interchange project, authorizing the legal department to proceed with eminent domain if the property owner is unresponsive.

The sewer easement is required for Phase 3B of the Cherry Lane project, which involves the interchange at I-840.

The city based the $37,900 easement offer on an $85,000 per acre valuation, which exceeds the appraised value of $71,500 per acre.

The council also approved a $195,772 engineering amendment for the project that includes stormwater permitting and utility coordination.

During its July 23, 2026 meeting, the Murfreesboro City Council approved a $37,900 sewer easement offer to support the Water Resources department's work on Phase 3B of the Cherry Lane extension project. The phase focuses on the interchange at Cherry Lane and I-840. A staff member representing Water Resources informed the council that the city requires a single sewer easement from a property owner, identified as the Dunaway parcel. The legal department calculated the easement offer based on an $85,000 per acre valuation for the right-of-way, which is substantially higher than the appraised amount of $71,500 per acre. The $37,900 offer was calculated using 50 percent of the land value per square foot for the permanent easement and 10 percent per square foot for a temporary easement. The council's approval grants the legal department the authority to move forward with eminent domain if the property owner does not respond within a specified timeframe. In a related action later in the meeting, the council approved a $195,772 contract amendment for additional engineering services on the overarching Cherry Lane Phase 3 project. The amendment covers necessary right-of-way documentation updates, utility coordination, and stormwater permitting, bringing the total engineering contract value to $2,970,757.