Cookeville residents are calling for a heightened focus on infrastructure and transportation as city officials update the 2050 Comprehensive Plan
Resident Sam Matson said the city should prioritize options for getting around town that do not involve a car. Matson said he supports the bicycle network plan but wants to see it implemented more aggressively.
“As we grow as a city and as the cost of car ownership continues to remain the same if not increase with the local spike in gas prices, we need to consider ways to prioritize options for people to get around town that do not involve getting in a car,” Matson said.
Resident Kenneth Reinhard said he has watched the city and congestion grow since 1980. He said public transportation will be a key factor in future movement. Reinhard said he is concerned about being able to get from place to place once he is no longer able to drive.
“The other thing I talked with a gentleman about is, thinking ahead to electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft facilities in the city,” Reinhard said. “So we’ll have to have a EVTOL, which is only going to be five years away. Because they’re going to have five or six hundred mile range. It’s already happening.”
Resident Joe Nicosia said he is concerned about specific intersections that have become increasingly congested as the city expands. Nicosia said the intersection of Tennessee Avenue and Mine Lick needs a signal because of the long wait times to yield into traffic.
“My other question was when will the left-hand turn lanes be expected to start construction on the North Willow bound south of Tech, because in the past there has been a lot of backup traffic there people turning left with no left turn lanes and it blocks a whole lane so that was a couple of our concerns,” Nicosia said.
Community Development Director Jon Ward said the plan update will guide growth, land use, and public services for the next two decades. Ward said the plan serves as a policy guide to help officials make consistent decisions regarding utilities, transportation, and housing as development pressures increase.
“The purpose is to review our major findings, listen to community feedback and understand whether the draft plan is pointing Cookeville in the right direction,” Ward said. “The most useful comments tonight will be specific. That means locations, intersections, corridors, neighborhoods, natural areas and project ideas.”
Ward said the city has more than doubled in population since 1970 and is projected to reach approximately 47,500 residents by 2060. Ward said while the growth is not expected to be explosive, the city must manage the increase thoughtfully to protect the community’s character.
“It’s going to be important for us to continue to encourage and support choices in housing as housing cost rise,” Ward said. “The planning challenge here is how do we provide housing choices for different incomes, different household types, different ages and stages of life while also protecting our established neighborhoods and supporting infrastructure capacity.”
Ward said traffic flow and circulation were rated as important by 81 percent of respondents in a 2023 citizen survey. Ward said the city’s transportation pattern is heavily shaped by Interstate 40 and Highway 111, which creates pressure on limited continuous routes like Willow Avenue.
“Where are the highest priority safety improvements needed,” Moore said. “Where congestion issues the most serious. Where are sidewalks, crossings, bike facilities or transit connections most needed. Mobility is more the moving cars.”
Ward said the city must also account for natural environmental systems like flood plains and sinkholes before development occurs. Natural systems function as infrastructure by moving storm water and reducing flooding risks.
“That doesn’t mean Cookeville can’t grow, it means growth should be designed with natural systems in mind, the goal is not just to avoid environmental impacts but to use good planning and design to reduce risk, protect quality of life and preserve the city’s natural character,” Moore said.
The public survey will remain open through Sunday.
