Council approves two rezoning requests and authorizes new Tennessee Avenue access point for Event Center Drive

The Cookeville City Council on Sept. 4 approved first‑reading rezonings for two parcels and voted to authorize an additional public access point on Tennessee Avenue to facilitate future development and county facilities. Mr. Ward, planning division staff, presented two separate rezoning items. The first rezoned property at 1630 Blackwell Road (Tax Map 83, Parcel 75) from LM (light manufacturing) to CI (commercial industrial mixed use). Ward said the lot contains about 0.94 acres (2.23 acres including rights‑of‑way) and that the city’s future land‑use plan designates it for mixed commercial/industrial use; the planning commission recommended approval. The second request concerned 2034 West Broad Street, where staff presented a rezoning of a roughly 16‑acre portion (19 acres including rights‑of‑way) from CI to CL (local commercial) to produce a homogenous zoning designation; Ward said the change would be a down‑zone and that the parcel includes a vehicle salvage yard that could be redeveloped with removal of salvage cars. Council also considered and approved ordinance O25‑08‑14 to authorize a new access point on Tennessee Avenue north of the Nashville and Eastern Railroad, tied to the West Broad rezoning and to Putnam County’s construction of Event Center Drive. Ward said Tennessee Avenue is a partially controlled access local interstate connector and that no public driveway access was planned north of the railroad; staff concluded a new access point north of the railroad is justified to support development on both sides of Tennessee Avenue and to align with Putnam County’s planned bus garage and fairgrounds access. Putnam County has constructed Event Center Drive and plans to align a new access street for a bus garage and maintenance facility; the ordinance authorizes that connection. Council members noted recusals where appropriate: one councilmember recused from the 2034 West Broad rezoning because they said they were a party to that item. The council opened public hearings on each rezoning and, seeing no public speakers, closed the hearings before advancing the items on first reading.