MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Students attending one of Middle Tennessee State University’s Small Business Management classes recently shared their feedback about new redevelopment plans for two areas of Murfreesboro with city officials.

City Councilman Kirt Wade and Assistant City Manager for Engineering and Economic Development Sam Huddleston visited the business class as a follow-up to Wade’s visit in early April, where he introduced and discussed the city’s Town Creek Daylighting Project and the Broad Street Redevelopment Plan proposed by a Midstate developer.

“MTSU’s Jones College of Business is the No. 1 producer of business talent in the Greater Nashville Area, and our students are the region’s future business leaders,” said Amelia Bozeman, lecturer in the MTSU Management Department. “As representatives of their generation, they provide insight into how Gen Z and their Millennial counterparts will help shape the economic and sociocultural landscape in the coming decades.

“City leaders recognize the advantages of tapping into the innovation and enthusiasm of our students; as a result of these conversations, planners can capitalize on trends as they emerge.”

Attracting future business owners

According to the city’s website, “The Town Creek Project and related public improvements will enhance the entrance to the downtown area.”

In 2022, the Murfreesboro City Council unanimously voted to approve plans to “daylight,” or uncover, Town Creek, an underground stream that originates in Murfree Spring at the Discovery Center. Daylighting Town Creek is one aspect of the City Council’s approved plans for redevelopment of the Historic Bottoms, an area west of Broad Street in the downtown area.

Wade, who has been on the City Council since 2016, was a part of the approval process for the Town Creek project and has been actively involved since. 

Meanwhile, the Broad Street Redevelopment Plan would be a mixed residential and commercial project developed by HRP Residential of Franklin that will add hundreds of apartments/condos, a small hotel, retail space, and parking garages in the area near Murfreesboro City Hall and Linebaugh Library off Broad, Vine and Church streets.

“We’re trying to build an entertainment district where we want people to live, work, and play, but we don’t have that now,” said Wade during the April 18 visit to campus with Huddleston.

Huddleston shared the vision for making Murfreesboro a more desirable place for younger residents. During his presentation, students learned about city development terms such as “placemaking” and how it applies to the new redevelopment plans.

According to Project for Public Spaces, a public spaces improvement company, “placemaking is centered around observing, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work, and play in a particular space to understand their needs and aspirations for that space and their community as a whole.”

“When you look at placemaking, that usually involves food and beverage, entertainment, and retail,” said Huddleston. “We ask ourselves the question. What are the opportunities for placemaking here? We included some potential opportunities for small businesses to operate on Town Creek.”

Students look forward to new plans

Following Wade’s initial visit on April 4, students were asked to consider the following questions:

• Consider how the city of Murfreesboro and site planners could make downtown a more vibrant and attractive place for young people to live, play and work. What, if anything, could they add, change or remove?

• As potential future business owners, how would/could you as a future business owner potentially capitalize on the development of the Town Creek Project?

As business students and future entrepreneurs, understanding the city’s new redevelopment plans helps these MTSU students connect what they are learning in the classroom to real-life experiences, Bozeman noted.

“Discussions such as these help students understand the intricacies of economic development as well as the importance of civic engagement,” she said. “We are equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to move forward and create the futures they envision for themselves and the community.”

Desmond McClendon, a senior from Nashville majoring in apparel design with a double minor in entrepreneurship and dance, said he is excited about the new development plans.

“I feel the changes coming to Murfreesboro will help us grow as a community but also as leaders and business owners within the community who bring new ideas and keep the community fresh,” he said.

Chris Connors, a senior majoring in business innovations and entrepreneurship from Collierville, said he thinks more food and entertainment businesses will make Murfreesboro a more attractive place for MTSU students.

“Food and entertainment venues will thrive in Murfreesboro, especially with how big the college is,” said Connors.

Students also learned about the city’s revenue and budget and the importance of location when planning for a business.

The Small Business Management course is offered through MTSU’s Department of Management in the Jones College of Business and is designed to help students learn how to successfully start and run a business.

— Johari Hamilton (Johari.HamiltonGA@mtsu.edu)