Cookeville Council To Consider Land Use Amendment

The Cookeville City Council will consider amending the 2030 land use plan for properties along the Highway 70 corridor Thursday.

The comprehensive plan is used for future zoning and developments of the growing city. Director of Planning Jon Ward said 11 West Broad Street addresses that are zoned residential could be changed to local commercial.

“When the plan was adopted, it was predominately a residential area,” Ward said. “There was no sewer there that time either. In 2018, sewer service was extended to those properties, and after the impacts of the 2020 tornadoes, the owners of the properties petition the planning commission to amend the land use plan.”

Ward said if the city council approves the change, this would only be the third time a amendment was made since 2012. Ward said the rezoning would allow uses for high density residential, medium commercial and town homes.

“This area is book ended on the east and west by local commercial zoning,” Ward said. “So, that district allows for a number of medium impact commercial developments and higher density residential.”

The Cookeville Planning Commission received a zoning change request in 2019 for the same property, but it was ultimately denied. The land is located near County Farm Road and Royal Oak Drive.

“We had received an application for rezoning a couple years ago, but rezoning did not comply with the 2030 plan, and the Planning Commission denied the request for that reason,” Ward said. “But obviously, the tornado destroying the homes out there that was a significant change to the development pattern.”