MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 3:46 pm

Proposed apartments on East Main Street get a third and final vote from Murfreesboro City Council Thursday night.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. for a special meeting regarding the city’s Water and Sewer/Private Lateral Rehabilitation & Assistance Policy. Regular council business will follow.

The council unanimously approved the rezoning and annexation on second reading in December. If the project gets final approval Thursday night, the plans become official and the area will be annexed into the city limits.

The development has come under scrutiny after neighbors have voiced concerns about the impact of traffic on nearby country roads.

Mayor Tommy Bragg defended the city’s planning department during the last vote.

Planning Director Joseph Aydelott said about 20 neighbors attended a meeting to air concerns about the proposed development with most citing traffic.

Many attendees argued the traffic study wasn’t done when MTSU and other local schools were in session and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

The study was done during the school year and during peak traffic hours, Aydelott disagreed.

The council will also consider, on third and final reading, creating a “move over law” for Murfreesboro, which is similar to the state’s law.

The law would require drivers to move over, if possible, when passing an emergency, highway maintenance or recovery vehicle or slow down when passing if moving over is not possible.

Failure to yield right-of-way would result in a $50 fine.

The city’s “move over law,” is “nearly identical to … the state ‘move over law,’ ” city attorney Susan McGannon said.

The city needs its own version because the state law imposes a fine of $100 and so cannot be used in the city limits.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.