Cookeville BZA Approves Signage And Parking Variance For Large Retail Development

Cookeville Board of Zoning Appeals approved variances for signage with proposed commercial development at the old Norwalk Site on South Willow Avenue.

Development Management Group Representative Ken Knuckles requested variances for the height and square footage for three different signs for the proposed 260,000-square-foot shopping center with retail and restaurant opportunities.

“It was important to the primary tenant that we have some presence from a signage standpoint from Interstate 40,” Knuckles said. “As Jon mentioned, the main reason to rezone to CR was to accommodate a larger development footprint.”

Knuckles said the primary tenant was a national retailer but did not name the company. He said there were smaller retail companies also attached to the shopping center.

The variance request would increase the maximum height of the sign from 100 feet to 120 feet. He said the variance also requests the maximum signage area increase from 500 square feet to 725 square feet.

The board also approved a variance for the property’s parking lot. Community Development Director Jon Ward said the city’s code requires islands in parking lots every 24 spaces. Ward said the developers have proposed bio-retention areas which are more significant to break up in the parking lot.

“There are perimeter landscaping requirements that we also plan on meeting,” Ward said. “(…) This request isn’t about reducing plant materials, this isn’t about parking spaces, we’re actually providing more green space by doing it this way than we normally would just to meet the 24 space.”