News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville’s East 8th Street Historic District continues to deal with too many Tennessee Tech students parking on the street, despite requests for the city to help with the issue.
The problem persists after citizens living on the street spoke to the Cookeville Planning Commission in 2020 requesting new parking regulations in the area for safety of the neighborhood. 38-year-resident Kris Ballinger said she feels the issue has gotten a little better in the past few years, although she said this was likely a result of her getting used to the crowded streets rather than any actual improvement.
“We’re kind of a little more used to it, but it doesn’t mean we like it,” Ballinger said. “You know, I really would, I’d love to be able to go back to the days when, you know, like it was when we first moved into the neighborhood where it was just, you know, we loved, you know, we loved the quietness of it. Even when the students were around, we loved in the fall when they came back to school.”
Ballinger said the university should build a parking garage on its property to help with the issue. She said no official regulations were put into place after the discussions with the city.
“I really feel like Tennessee Tech kind of needs to figure that out for the whole area,” Ballinger said. “It’s not just 8th Street, it’s 9th Street and Allen Street and all these streets around Tennessee Tech get just packed with cars.”
Ballinger said she understands why the students have been parking this way in recent years despite the issues it brings to the neighborhood.
“I know it’s expensive for students to park and I get it that they want to save some dollars and park on the street rather than in a parking lot, but it’s just so hard on the neighborhoods that live around it,” Ballinger said.
