Cookeville City Scape officials pleased with the preliminary design reveal for Cookeville’s Depot Street Project.
CityScape Executive Director Ferran Kefauver said she loved how the design addresses traffic flow and ensures that businesses are in a walkable area. Kefauver also said she likes the idea of having an event stage where outdoor concerts and events could be held.
“All the thought and the planning that has gone into this design, I think it’s gonna be really neat,” Kefauver said. “And of course, obviously, you know, it’s very preliminary and things change and evolve, but we like the direction that this is headed.”
The preliminary design also proposed apartments, a dog park, a hotel, retail spaces, and various other spaces that would be included in the project. Kefauver said she believes the proposed spaces would certainly bring more people to the downtown area.
“Even the small things that the city is currently doing, for instance, just beautification projects,” Kefauver said. “I just drove downtown and saw one of the city’s horticultrists out working in the flower beds and shelves and all those small things, even they are things that are bringing more people downtown, so obviously, things such as, you know, a main stage, a dog park, and a hotel, and more retail, that’s defintiely gonna bring more people downtown.”
Cookeville City Council showcased the first ideas Thursday night. Kefauver said CityScape enjoys seeing Cookeville take a big swing with this project to improve the downtown area.
“30 years ago, that area was an area of town that was not thriving, to say the least,” Kefauver said. “And so to be able to have not just your individual property owners, or business owners, trying to make it better, but having a non-profit like CityScape as well as the city government behind you and partnering with the chamber on so many aspects, and the county as such a big player in this as well. I just think it’s very exciting for CityScape to have so many people focused on the same things we are and ar passionate about them.”
Kefauver said the project is carrying the momentum of the several other improvements and grants that CityScape has received for the downtown area. Kefaucer said she feels like the downtown area is really coming together.
