Cookeville City Council approved two new public street access points on Tennessee Avenue.
One access point will be for properties located north of the Nashville Eastern Railroad, and the other with connect Event Center Drive between the Fairgrounds and the county’s bus and maintenance garage. Council Member Eric Walker said though the city’s plan is not to add many access points on Tennessee Avenue, he believes this is a unique situation.
“Without this access, those properties would not be developed, which is what we want to see along Tennessee Avenue,” Walker said. “And with the fairgrounds and the county’s initiatives, that’s also a huge benefit to the public.”
Community Development Director Jon Ward said he recommended that developers coordinate a public street access location for parallel access for properties on the western and eastern sides of Tennessee Avenue. However, Ward said the planning commission recommended approval for the access points, as there are no access points north of the railroad.
“The property with the majority of street frontage on the west side of Tennessee Avenue only has access from Dyer-Grimes Road through existing residential properties,” Ward said.
Ward said when Tennessee Avenue was constructed, only four access points were constructed. The city limited the number of access points on Tennessee Avenue to maintain efficient traffic flow. Though the access points were approved, Walker clarified his stance on adding more access points.
“I would just like to reiterate that I don’t think that we should add more access points down the road,” Walker said
