News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville Planning Commission wants to be better prepare for emergencies that delay commission business.
Planning Director Jon Ward said the commission did not have a way to extend development approvals that might be missed because of a cancelled meeting.
“Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the planning department recognizes a need relative to development approvement deadlines,” Ward said. “The zoning code includes no provisions to address extensions due to extenuating circumstances.”
Under the amendment to the city’s zoning code, the planning department can provide up to six months in additional time to a developer. The developer must apply for the extension prior to the deadline date.
Several planning commission members expressed support for the six-month time frame.
“That would be the last of the extensions,” Ward said.
The developer must provide justification for the extension based on how the emergency has impacted the development.
“How far you would vet that, I mean essentially if someone claimed that they were impacted, then I feel like you would have to grant them the extension,” Ward said.
The planning commission had to cancel a meeting because of COVID-19 very late. Ward said had there been a development on the agenda that required approval to meet a deadline, the planning schedule would likely have had to restart.
Ward said the city also recognized that some companies had experienced limited staffing during the pandemic. That situation, too, could be remedied by the amendment changed.
The planning commission approved the change. Cookeville City Council will consider the amendment Thursday night.
The commission also voted to rezone 4.86 acres of land off US-70 and Highway 111 to single family and duplex residential. Developer Jerry Gaw applied for the rezoning from single-family homes. The land stands adjacent to the Windsor Hill subdivision and Cedar Hill Senior Living Center.
The planning commission also approved a preliminary plat for the Concord project located along Washington Avenue and Jere Whitson Drive. The plat includes 17 two-bedroom townhomes.
