Cookeville City Council approving a final master plan for the 39 Depot Street project to transform five acres of downtown property into a cohesive park and retail district.
The project includes the development of 15 distinct park spaces and a significant realignment of the local street network to improve traffic flow. The plan also addresses a long-standing safety concern at the “malfunction junction” intersection. ACE Engineering’s Kevin Tucker said the vision reflects years of public feedback.
“As a citizen, I’m extremely excited about what this will do in terms of just the overall image, the economic impact, and the fun and the overall environment.”
Tucker said the plan is intended to serve as a long-term framework for the area’s redevelopment. Mills said the approved design creates 376 new parking spaces. Mills said the city expects to go to bid on the first phase of the new parking lot construction within the next few weeks.
Mills said the approved design creates 376 new parking spaces, with 258 located in a south lot and 118 in a north lot. Mills said the city expects to go to bid on the first phase of the new parking lot construction within the next few weeks.
“I think overall Kevin’s done a great job of putting together a master plan and, and telling the story for what our downtown could be,” Councilman Eric Walker said. “I think Cookeville can really appreciate, the improvements that we’ve made and the gathering place that, that we’ve turned the west side into.”
Mills said the master plan features a “Choo Choo Court” for the existing train display, a multipurpose entertainment plaza with a stage, and a large green space that could serve as a future farmers market. Mills said the architecture for new structures, including gazebos and restrooms, will be designed to remain compatible with the style of the historic depot.
“This is the main map for what we’re gonna do in terms of the traffic flow, what the, you know, what we want to accomplish, but there’s a lot of stuff that is going to change, so no one place your bets on this,” Mayor Laurin Wheaton said. “I know as my, on my way out, I could not be more excited about this.”
Mills said the city has already completed the first phase of the project, which included topographic surveys and a traffic study at a cost of $220,500. Mills said the next phase involves the final engineering and design for the street realignments, which carries a fee of $230,000.
The council also approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to acquire necessary land rights for the project through donation, negotiation, or eminent domain.
