A downtown Cookeville property once planned to become a hotel and convention center, then a Nashville-based medical facility, now has the city interested in its purchase.
The estimated 5-acre property is located across the street from the Depot, off Cedar Avenue. City Manager James Mills said the city is considering spending $3.2 million to purchase the property from HCA Health Services.
“Primarily, we would like to use at least part of it for an acre or an acre and a half for parking for the downtown area,” Mills said. “We’ve also talked about providing some green space, we’ve also looked at how we utilize the rest of it would be potentially for commercial retail purposes.”
Mills noted that part of the contract to purchase the property is that the property is being sold as is. Mills said there are environmental concerns and that city is working with an environmental assistance firm to conduct an environmental assessment on the site.
“We have had some previous ones done where we have to our availability, previous environmental assessments, so that’s how we know that there are some concerns,” Mills said. “We also know that there are some storm drainage water and other utilities on the properties that will have to be relocated and or upgraded.”
Mills said this purchase shows the city’s commitment to investing in the downtown area.
“We have spent millions and millions of dollars in the downtown,” Mills said. “I don’t want to hear complaints from people down there that the city ain’t doing anything with the downtown. You start with this park over here, it’s literally tens of millions of dollars have been invested in the downtown, so I think this shows that this council’s support, assuming you approve this, for the downtown area.”
The proposed property is located on Depot Street between South Cedar and South Oak Avenues. The Cookeville City Council will vote Thursday for approval to move forward with the purchase.
