The Murfreesboro City Council has signed off on a purchase-and-sale agreement to transfer more than eight acres near Medical Center Parkway to a local developer planning a multi-level event complex. The agreement sets a tentative closing date of March 11, 2027, and requires the buyer to secure zoning, site plans, and design approvals before the sale can close.
According to WKRN, the council agreed to sell the property to Hackberry 5 Properties for just over $2 million, and the city projects the destination-style facility will generate nearly $12 million for Murfreesboro over the next 20 years. The purchase-and-sale describes a development with two event spaces and a restaurant that can seat more than 650 guests, a setup that aims squarely at the big-wedding and corporate-event market.
City records show the concept first surfaced in December, when staff reviewed a draft purchase-and-sale for an 8.62-acre slice of a larger city tract and a roughly 36,000-square-foot building that would include event and office space plus a rooftop restaurant. City of Murfreesboro meeting minutes say Shawn Hackinson, owner of Alley on Main, walked the council through the multi-level plan and emphasized that local demand for larger wedding and event venues is already outpacing what is available in town.
Approvals and timeline
Under the signed agreement, the developer must lock in all zoning, site plans, designs, and permit approvals before closing, and the city retains repurchase rights if those conditions are not met. As reported by WKRN, the purchase-and-sale sets March 11, 2027, as the target closing date and mirrors terms used in prior city projects, giving both sides a long runway to work through design reviews and the Gateway approval process.
Traffic and the neighborhood
The site sits in the Gateway corridor, just south of The Fountains at Gateway and next to a mix of medical and retail development, where the city is in the middle of widening Medical Center Parkway to add lanes and improve traffic flow. A City of Murfreesboro news release on the Phase II widening lays out construction work and a completion target in early 2027 that city officials say should better handle both event and retail traffic in the corridor.
Mayor Shane McFarland and council members have framed the land sale as a way to keep venue business in Murfreesboro and to encourage complementary uses, such as a nearby hotel, that could support larger events. City of Murfreesboro meeting minutes show the council also flagged walkability, Greenway connections, and parking as key issues that will shape the final site plans as the developer moves through the Gateway Commission and permitting process.
