Relient J

Point well taken, MurfRez. I've refrained from posting on Urban Planet in general for some time now. It can be tough to be the only paleoconservative (for lack of a better term) in a debate, and I definitely needed a breather. Having said that, I'm thankful to have a place to discuss many of these issues that affect my community, and hope to do so again in the future. On the topic of Murfreesboro's downtown, I don't honestly have much of an opinion. I have very little reason for visiting the square for entertainment. It's a beautiful area of town, but I would have it stand or fall on its own merits. As many of you may know I oppose the type of government-organized urban planning that takes place in Murfreesboro and most American cities in the modern era, and I certainly don't want to see my property taxes, which already undermine my property rights, propping up the downtown area.

I do at this point. I live in a safe neighborhood by the grace of God.

This could also have been posted in The Avenue thread as it pertains to both projects, but there was an article published on the Web site of Sidelines, MTSU's student newspaper, about the two malls. The article can be found here: http://media.www.mtsusidelines.com/media/s...gepublisher.com I think it requires you to have a free account with them to gain access to the whole article.

My main wish for Murfreesboro going into the future is that we the people of the city would install in office public servants who will work to protect and defend the rights of the people. My hope is that in so doing we would become a beacon of freedom that other cities around the state and country could emulate.

^ Very interesting indeed! Thanks for the info.

We started a great discussion about the Stones River Mall in The Avenue thread. I certainly don't want to disrupt the flow of that conversation, but just thought I would bump up this thread to have a specific place to discuss the mall. One thing of great interest to me from that conversation was mentioned by reednavy05 in this post: The video he mentioned was fascinating to watch, as it really gives a great look into the planned future of the mall. To me, it looks to be a very bright future indeed. As I mentioned in The Avenue thread, I just hope the two ventures can coexist along with the many other shopping centers that have sprung up or will soon spring up in Murfreesboro and the surrounding area. My only criticism of the Stones River Mall video is in their presentation of it. A lot of us these days use browsers with built-in pop-up blockers. I would never have known that video was there had reednavy05 not brought it to our attention. (Thanks for mentioning it!) Here's a link to the mall's Web site: http://www.stonesrivermall.com/html/

Thanks for the history lesson, MurfRez! That is interesting indeed. So, just to press a little further on this issue, did the building ever open as a Wal-Mart? And if so was it attached to the mall as such? That would be an unusual Wal-Mart.

2 million sq. ft.! Yikes. That's impressive. Speaking of Stones River Mall, it's amazing to contrast the outside look of the old Dillard's store with the new one they're constructing. The new one's going to huge!

I certainly hope not. With all of the renovations they're doing to the Stones River Mall, it's going to look mighty nice when they get done with it. I'd like to think Murfreesboro can support both malls, but we'll see.

Thanks for posting that link. I've been to that Web site before, but it's been a while.

I don't know that I've ever officially had soul food, so I don't think I can comment intelligently on good places to eat it in Murfreesboro. However, if you're looking for some of my favorite eateries in the 'Boro in general here they are: Slick Pig BBQ - Old school small town BBQ joint near the campus of MTSU. On Tuesdays they offer a 99 cent BBQ sandwich special (unless they've departed from that plan since the last time I went), and that means that during the semester the place is full of MTSU students on that day. There's also a location on South Church Street, but I've only eaten there once. Moe's Southwest Grill - I've been a huge fan of this chain since eating at a Moe's location in Smyrna, Georgia three or four years ago. The food is fantastic! Our Moe's is located in The Oaks Shopping Center. Chick-fil-A - The food is wonderful, and you will be hard pressed to find better drive through service at any other fast food establishment. It is located near Target off Old Fort Parkway. The Chop House - Located in that newish shopping center across the street from The Oaks (the name of the shopping center escapes me at the moment), it has delicious steaks in a formal yet comfortable atmosphere.

I'm sorry I haven't posted this sooner, but if you go to the Cousins Properties Web site that features The Avenue Murfreesboro, you will now see a very small rendering of what the lifestyle center will eventually look like. You can see it here: http://www.cousinsproperties.com/retail/index/am.cfm

That makes sense because the Starbucks coffee stands in bookstores are rarely (if ever) owned and run by Starbucks. Those bookstores just hire their own employees to prepare drinks made with Starbucks coffee. What does truly surprise me though is that they're putting in a Starbucks in the old DQ location. It seems strange to me that they would do that when there are other parts of town that would seem like a better fit for a new Starbucks. They need one near MTSU badly in my opinion, and I think they'd do well to put one there.

I haven't read the DNJ article posted above, so my grasp of what exactly is being proposed is tenuous. However, forcing property owners to stop using their property according to their own plans just because it doesn't fit the government interest is tyranny plain and simple.

Here's a link to a Murfreesboro Post article confirming that Publix has indeed bought the two Bi-Lo stores previously discussed in this thread: http://murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=1617 The converted Publix stores should open by April.

^ Happy New Year to you as well!

Thanks for those wonderful pictures, Justiceham! You captured one of my favorites views in town with your photo looking toward the Gateway Medical Plaza on Medical Center Parkway. I don't know why, but there's just something cool about that view. I also like your shot of the McMansion. I don't know that I've ever seen that one before. It's a lovely house!

There was an accident yesterday at The Avenue construction site involving a scaffold collapsing. Seven workers were injured, some seriously. Here's the DNJ's account of what happened: http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../612300319/1002 I'll keep those workers in my prayers.

Word.

^ Sure, no question Murfreesboro benefits enormously from its proximity to Nashville. By the same token (though certainly to a lesser degree) Nashville also benefits tremendously from having Murfreesboro nearby. But should folks who live in Nashville's surrounding area not take pride in their respective cities? I live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, not Nashville. That's not snobbery, it's merely a fact.

Maybe it's city pride instead of snobbery.

Sorry for the double post. Yesterday the DNJ Web site featured an article about proposed changes in The Gateway sign ordinance for The Avenue. The article can be found here: http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...NEWS01/61213021 I personally disapprove of the city dictating aesthetic decisions to property owners in Murfreesboro.

Here are links to a couple of articles posted in the last 24 hours about the groundbreaking ceremony. This first one is from the Nashville Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stori...html?from_rss=1 This one is from The Murfreesboro Post, and includes a photo of those in attendance: http://murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=1283

Interesting information about the Harris Teeter store, Justiceham. I wonder what will become of that location now.

Thanks for the insider info, Lexy! A longer DNJ article was published today: http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../612100330/1002 Sad for the BI-LO employees.