News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Worried about the long-term impact of the land-use decision, Cookeville City Council voted Thursday night against the rezoning land at Spring Street and Interstate 40 to Quarry-Mining.
Council Member Laurin Wheaton said the rezoning conflicts with the city’s 2030 Land Use Plan that calls for mixed commercial and light industrial development in that area.
“The citizens of Cookeville should have an expectation that the council will follow our adopted plans,” Wheaton said. “The proposed zoning rezoning is non-compliant with our adopted land-use plan for this reason. And that’s why I make the motion to deny the facility and we have a motion to deny or second.
After the vote, City Manager James Mills said it was important to remember that the blasting and debris removal will continue on the site. The equipment needed to cleanse the rock and remove debris can only be used in a quarry zoning. RQ Development simply plans to do that cleanup work on a piece of property outside the city limits. The Cookeville city limits run along the border of the property in question.
RQ Development wants to remove rock and debris from the 47-acre tract to clear it for commercial development. City Planning Director Jon Ward told the council last night that process would likely take about seven years, according to the developer.
“We’re trying to do a commercial development and that’s what we want to do,” RQ’s Matt Davidson said. “And this is the only feasible way to make this commercial development work. It’s been happening for 60 years and we’re trying to make this problem go away and we think within seven years we can have a fifty-five acre site, write off one of the main intersections in town that could be developed for something special.”
The carrot of the future, according to Council Member Eric Walker, has not been proven.
“Putting this into quarry mining zoning does not force it back into local commercial at a later date,” Walker said. “The mining and the quarry zoning would be unlimited use at that time. So that effort to create a better commercial property, though, may be well intentioned. It is not what we’re voting on here today.”
Several local residents voiced their concerns about the quarry operation citing noise, dust and the issues from blasting in the area. There is already another quarry just east of the site along Dacco Quarry Road.
