Cookeville Planning Consolidates CPAC, Dogwood Zoning

The Cookeville Planning Commission approved the rezoning of land surrounding Dogwood Park from Local Commercial (CL) to Central Business District (CBD).

Community Development Director Jon Ward said the impacted area includes Dogwood Park, the Cookeville Performing Arts Center, the Cookeville History Museum, the Putnam County Library, and a number of privately-owned businesses along East Broad Street. Ward said the area already bordered the CBD district to the East, South, and West.

“The intent of the rezoning is to consolidate the CBD,” Ward said. “This would accommodate an expansion of the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. The rezoning would not affect any uses currently occupying the subject properties. The current uses are permitted in CL and CBD.”

Ward said a northern portion of Dogwood Park is excluded from the rezoned property in order to maintain the Neighborhood Commercial (CN) zoning designation along East 1st Street.

Ward said the CPAC project is an expansion to the women’s restroom in the building. Ward said the CBD classification is less restrictive in regard to building setbacks.

“Our current CPAC building already violates the setback requirements,” Ward said. “The expansion would further violate those. A lot of the existing buildings in this area violate all the requirements. They are all legal non-conforming issues, but they are non-conforming. This zoning change would put those – some of those non-conforming uses into compliance with the code.”