Variance Addressing Coffee/Event Center Parking

Help for downtown Cookeville parking could come in the form of 40 new parking spots.

The Board of Zoning will hear an appeal Thursday to add parking space in a lot at the corner of West Spring Street and Church Street. The lot would be off-premises parking for a coffee shop and 100-person event space being built at the corner of Spring and Walnut. Lauren Metts one of the co-owners of that space.

“There’s just a large need for parking, so this is kind of step one for us to try and bring more people to this area of town,” Metts said. “A lot of other buildings are being renovated around us, so we just kind of thought we would help out a little bit, be proactive about the parking issue.”

The exception will go before the Board of Zoning Appeals Thursday to reduce parking requirements from 57 spaces to 47 spaces. Code requires on site parking, and the current location has eight parking spots.

Metts said the city leases church parking, but they cannot use those spaces and think getting the variance can help downtown Cookeville as a whole.

“They just assume there’s enough parking because you’re in the downtown, unfortunately we’re right across Spring St, so that takes that parking option away,” Metts said.

If the exception is approved by the Board of Zoning and Appeals, the parking lot should be available 24 hours for downtown usage.

“It’s going to be 40 plus spaces that aren’t going to be needed for a specific venue space,” Metts said.

Metts said she hopes to open the facility in eight to ten months.