Cookeville Council Considering New RAO Ordinance

Cookeville City Council will consider on first reading a new Redevelopment Area Overlay (RAO) District along Chestnut Avenue and West 4th Street.

Planning Director James Mills said two condemned houses in the proposed district will be demolished to make room for new townhouses.

“In place of the dilapidated structures, the proposal indicates 17 townhouse units will be built on the property,” Mills said. “The property is a little less than an acre in size. All units would face Chestnut (Avenue) but would be accessed off an alley so there would be no driveways on Chestnut, which will help for traffic flow.”

Mills said once finalized, the area will be only the sixth RAO district in the city since its creation five years ago.

“The RAO district was created in 2013 as a mechanism to encourage redevelopment, revitalization, and rehabilitation in areas in which the Cookeville 2030 Plan has identified as being a need of such action,” Mills said. “These are dilapidated areas that we search a mechanism to get developers into these areas.”

Mills said having the RAO district is a way to help developers and bring them within the city.

“It’s a financial risk to go into these areas for a developer to invest in,” Mills said. “We try to come up with a mechanism and the RAO’s been pretty successful so far.”

The first reading of the ordinance will be heard Thursday at 5:30 pm. during the city council meeting.