Murfreesboro Authorizes Eminent Domain for Cherry Lane Sewer Easement
City of Murfreesboro Water Resources, Tennessee · Meeting date: July 23, 2026 · Published: July 25, 2026
The 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.
Key points
- 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.
Full report
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.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council - Regular Session, City of Murfreesboro Water Resources