CPAC Renovation Part Of Reason For Downtown Rezoning

Renovations at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center, one factor in the rezoning of some 17 acres around Cookeville’s Dogwood Park.

Economic and Community Development Director Jon Ward said CPAC has proposed a bathroom renovation that would extend the building toward street right-of-ways. He said the land is currently zoned Local Commercial, so setback requirements dictate how close a building can come to those street right-of-ways. Rezoning to the Commercial Business District removes those requirements.

“Other structures that exist on West Broad in that area have many of the characteristics of the Central Business District already,” Ward said. “So, you know, like the buildings occupy 100 percent of the lot, you know they don’t have a lot of, you know, they don’t have any off-street parking, per se, on the properties.”

Ward said the change would eliminate some of the existing zoning nonconformities of several businesses through that stretch. Ward said the properties that would be rezoned are north of West Broad Street in the vicinity of Dixie Avenue.

He said the CL zoning district requires businesses to provide off-street parking, while CBD does not carry that requirement if there is adequate public parking in the area.

“Buildings can occupy the entirety of the lots,” Ward said. “You know, that some of the businesses you see on the West Side, you know, some of the area around the courthouse square, you know, a lot of that’s our existing Central Business areas. So, this reduces the setbacks as long as you don’t have any visibility issues at intersections.”

He said the cities see it as beneficial for most all parties, and having minimal impact on the businesses in the area currently zoned Commercial Local.

“Also, some of the church facilities are included in the zoning change,” Ward said. “And that’s permitted in the zoning district. We have a lot of existing churches in the CBD, right? But this would also include some of those, so, overall, I think it’s a benefit.”

He said this also creates a greater connection between the CBD area around the courthouse and the CBD area on the city’s west side.