News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville Planning Commission voted unanimously Monday night against a zoning code amendment to allow retail package stores south of I-40 on South Jefferson Avenue.
The decision contradicted the recommendation of the city’s planning department. Community Development Director Jon Ward said the city set the regulation in 2011 and kept liquor stores north of I-40 at the request of the Cookeville Rescue Mission.
“You’ve got schools on established corridors in the other approved locations,” Ward said. “You also have existing residential development that’s included in the existing, on some of the existing corridors that were approved. So from our analysis from a lands use perspective we just can’t determine what the differences would be.”
Commission Chair Jim Woodford said he opposed the amendment as he was part of the council that made the original regulation and wants to respect the Rescue Mission. Woodford said he has voted to change regulations for a package store in the past but that was for a location in a commercial development that did not directly affect anyone.
“I’m not super excited about giving opportunity for a lot more package stores, but just from a logic standpoint I honestly think that that corridor makes more sense than a lot of these other corridors where we are allowing them now,” Commission Member Bob Faulhaber said. “Some of the areas along East 10th Street there I think are much higher impact.”
Commission Member Lauren Metts asked if the commission could extend the area for liquor stores only to Henley Drive instead of down to Pigeon Roost Creek Road as requested. Woodford said the city council considered that solution in 2011 but it would have forced package stores even closer to the Rescue Mission.
“I think it’s important to note that we’ve evolved a lot south of I-40,” Ward said. “And there’s a lot of population down there that you’re not providing that as an option for as far as to make people drive north of the interstate.”
Ward said there have been others who have reached out to him expressing interest in amending the current regulations but this is the first official application. Ward said the petitioner has the right to appeal the planning commission’s decision to city council.
“If the Rescue Mission is the driver for you, I mean that’s obviously the driver, there’s tons of stores that sell alcohol,” Ward said. “All those gas stations sell alcohol. I want you to understand our analysis, right? I mean it’s not like you can’t get alcohol south of I-40. There are plenty of places that sell it.”
In other business, the commission gave conditional approval for the final plats of a six-lot property on Mahler Avenue and South Walnut Avenue and a thirty-two-lot portion of the Glenview Division. The commission also took the Putnam County Habitat for Humanity’s request for a preliminary plat to expand the West End neighborhood on as a study item.
