Cookeville Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special exception request Thursday to allow the Homebridge Extended Stay to convert into a multifamily residential development.
Planning Department’s Chris Phillips said the request utilizes a newly established ordinance for adaptive residential multifamily reuse within commercial industrial mixed-use zoning districts. HomeBridge owner Michael Bowie said it is about more than zoning.
“Most middle class and up probably wouldn’t utilize us,” Bowie said, “But the person who’s in their car, may have a kid, they have 500 dollars in their pocket, where do they go? We give them an option to do that.”
Bowie said he is trying to ease the burden for families. Phillips said the ordinance requires that at least 40 percent of the units be reserved for households at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Phillips said the petitioner has agreed to accept housing vouchers and will require a minimum lease term of 90 days for all residents.
“The thing that’s hard on these people right now is they’re paying roughly 20 percent in taxes with sales and occupancy taxes,” Bowie said. “We’re just all about trying to do the right thing and we feel like someone who’s coming, trying to get better and scratching and clawing to have a better life, is taxing them 20 percent on their roof over their head the best option? Probably not.”
Phillips said the development must install a U.S. Postal Service central box unit to provide mailing addresses for all rooms. Phillips said the chief building official has already determined that the existing Homebridge development meets all applicable building codes for the conversion.
“Formalizing the property stabilizes it and, again, lowers the cost, which gives stability to the people,” Bowie said. “And we hope that that will be reflected in the property.”
Phillips said the board needed to establish a specific timeline for the annual compliance reports required by the city ordinance. Phillips said the planning division recommended that the board decide whether these reports should be submitted on a calendar year basis or based on the anniversary of the approval.
“We’re borderline social workers,” Bowie said. “The service that we’re providing to the city is hard to get measured in a 100 rate.”
The board amended the motion to require that annual compliance reports be submitted every January 1, starting in 2027.
