Page 14 - Murfreesboro, TN Comprehensive Plan: Chapter 7, Economic Development

7.14 Chapter 7

DRAFT 12.02.15

Source: Midtown Innovation District, midtownatlinnovates.com

Economic Opportunity: The MTSU shopping and urban-format housing that already exist
near The Gateway in particular (especially north and
Innovation Campus east of Medical Center Parkway), provide a ready-made
setting for a master-developed tech-park (thus avoiding
Among the more high-profile off-campus installations, the longer “uptake” and absorption times of a more
the most economically impactful are university branded remote location).
tech-parks. These are now common fixtures for towns It deserves mentioning that with the resurgence of
and cities with major research universities and have been everything urban of late, that suburban-model tech
the major economic engines behind the impressive rise parks have begun to lose their luster. In response,
of cities like: Austin TX, Lincoln, NE, Madison, WI, and many have tried to become more city-like by adding
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, among others. With apartments and retail along their edges to give them a
its new Science Building and its respected Aerospace more urban live/work flavor. Many cities and universities
and Engineering Technology, and Mind2Marketplace are now eschewing the old tech park model altogether
programs, along with the local presence of technology by pushing edgy new urban “innovation districts” which
companies such as Enovate Medical, Murfreesboro and are more dense, vertical and interwoven into the fabric
MTSU are potentially poised to break-in to this elite of city. Incubators/accelerators, co-working spaces and
company of communities. apartments – many carved-out of repurposed historic
University-affiliated tech parks usually involve a high level buildings - are all a part of the mix. The Midtown
of city-participation typically in the form of infrastructure Innovation District just off of the Georgia-Tech campus
funding and company-direct tax incentives. Traditional in Atlanta is usually credited as being the prototype
suburban tech parks usually start at at-least 100-acres for this kind of alternative, urban tech environment, as
with the flexibility to expand to over two to three times depicted in Figure 7.5, “What’s Happening” in Midtown
their original size. Therefore, a large, single-owned tract Innovation District.
with good visibility and transportation access and with Although Murfreesboro has fewer opportunities to
services close at-hand, are considered ideal locations. repurpose an entire swath of the “old city,” the historic
Lead investments usually take the form of a flagship ‘Bottoms’ area does have potential to serve as a modest-
business incubator/accelerator housing the University’s sized urban tech hub. Its amenity factors include the
licensing and technology-transfer office along with Lytle Creek Greenway, a handful of salvageable flex-
ancillary amenities such as a small conference center buildings, and proximity to Downtown. Although the
and hotel. Special infrastructure such as ultra high- ultimate decision to site a tech park will rest with MTSU,
speed Internet; nicely appointed public outdoor areas; the City can greatly influence the decision through
alternative/renewable energy applications; and stylized zoning and with the promise of greater or lesser
(university-branded) signing are also typically part of resources depending on the challenges and preferences
the package.
of one location versus another. Obviously, any wholesale
In Murfreesboro, areas north of The Gateway including redevelopment of the historic ‘Bottoms’ area, with its
the I-24/TN SR 840 interchange (where MTSU already fragmented ownership and suspected environmental
owns significant acreage) are obvious places to site a constraints, will involve significantly more lead-time and
traditional tech-park. The existing hospitals, hotels, predevelopment cost than a typical greenfield site.