Comprehensive Plan

Download the Comprehensive Plan (Adobe Acrobat PDF file, 2.4MB)

The Cookeville Regional Planning Commission has completed a plan for the future development of the City of Cookeville and its Urban Growth Area.  The Cookeville Comprehensive Future Land Use Plan, 1999 –2020, was approved by the Planning Commission on September 25, 2000 and adopted by the City Council on October 5, 2000.

The Comprehensive Plan is intended to perform three primary functions.  First, it serves as a vision for the municipality’s future growth and development.  This vision is specified through goals and objectives and with strategies for achieving these objectives.  Next, it serves as a guide for decision making.  The most common way the plan is used in this manner is the zoning process.  Rezoning decisions are based on compliance with the plan.  The plan is also used for the development of a capital improvements program and budget.  For example it can be used as a guide for determining priorities for street improvements and for the construction of sidewalks.  Thirdly, the Plan meets certain legal requirements.  Tennessee Code Section 13-4-201 states that “it is the function and duty of the commission to make and adopt an official general plan for the physical development of the municipality.”

The preparation of this document required a great deal of fieldwork and research.  Most of the information necessary to prepare a comprehensive plan had never been collected for Cookeville.  Every parcel of land in Cookeville and the surrounding planning area was physically checked to determine how each was used and every street and sidewalk was inspected to determine existing condition.  After all this data was collected it was placed in the city’s Geographic Information System.  Once this digitization was completed the Cookeville Planning Staff was able to complete analyses of the data collected.  The analyses included determination of acreage by land use classification, housing types, physical restraints to development, street mileage by classification and condition, etc.   Also the digitization of this data allowed the Planning Staff to produce the Illustrations that are necessary to visually present the findings and recommendations required in a comprehensive plan.  Future planning efforts should benefit greatly from the database that the city now possesses.

The comprehensive planning process can be broken down into three basic steps.  First, pertinent data on what makes a community work, such as historical data, natural factors, population and employment, and existing land use and transportation facilities, must be collected.  Second, this data must be examined to identify trends and determine affects on future growth and development.  Lastly, the results of these analyses are used to formulate a long-term development program for the municipality. 

To assist you in your review of the Comprehensive Plan a summary of each Chapter is presented in the following:

Chapter 1 – Introduction

The Cookeville Comprehensive Future Land Use Plan covers a planning period of approximately 20 years, from 1999 to 2020.  The Plan is intended for use by municipal officials, community leaders, developers, industrialists and others as they make decisions that affect the future growth and development of the municipality.  A primary source of the goals and objectives presented in this Plan were the Vision Workshops completed by the city in 1998 as a part of the Cookeville 2020 Comprehensive Plan. 

Chapter 2 – Background for Planning

The purpose of this element is to provide the reader with information on how the community has historically developed and on how it currently functions.  The information presented in this Chapter gives those unfamiliar with the municipality a better perspective on why the municipality has developed the way it has and with information on the local government structure.

Chapter 3 – Natural Factors Affecting Development

Natural factors, such as topography, drainage and flooding, and soil conditions, can significantly affect the future development of a community.  In this Chapter the natural factors affecting development in the Cookeville Planning Area are identified and their impacts are analyzed.

Chapter 4 – Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Development

Population and employment characteristics greatly affect the future development of a community.  Trends must be identified and projections must be made to estimate future land use and transportation needs.  The population demographics examined in this Chapter include historical growth, migration, age distribution, and household size.  The employment characteristics studied include employment by major industrial sectors, historical employment, major employers, and place of work.

Chapter 5 – Existing Land Use Analysis

A survey and study of existing land use patterns and characteristics must be completed to prepare a plan for future land use.  During the spring and summer of 1999 field surveys of the city and the unincorporated planning area were completed.  The utilization of each parcel of land was determined.  Each individual land use was assigned to a general land use category which included residential, commercial/private services, industrial, public services/cultural and recreation, utilities, transportation, and vacant land.  General analyses were first completed to determine acreage by land use category.  Next specific analyses by individual land use category were prepared.  Vacant land was examined to determine where and how much land is available for future development.

Chapter 6 – Analysis of Existing Land Use by Planning Neighborhood

This Chapter has two primary purposes.  First, the establishment of Planning Neighborhoods will allow for a more thorough examination of land use trends in future planning efforts.  When the Comprehensive Plan is updated the city will be better able to trace where and what kinds of growth are occurring.  Second, the Planning Neighborhoods will allow the city to develop individual zoning plans as a part of a citywide zoning study.

Chapter 7 – Transportation Analysis and Plan

In this Chapter the transportation system in the Cookeville Planning Area is examined and plans for future improvements are presented.  The analyses include classification of thoroughfares, traffic circulation patterns, traffic volumes, traffic impediments, traffic generators, existing street conditions, parking, and pedestrian/non-vehicular circulation.  From these analyses a Future Transportation Plan is presented.  A major element of this Plan is the Major Street Plan.  Two other important elements are the Street Improvements Plan and the Pedestrian Circulation Plan.

Chapter 8 – Delineation of Urban Growth Area

As noted earlier, one of the functions of a Comprehensive Plan is to satisfy certain legal requirements.  The information gathered in the preparation of this Plan was used to meet the requirements of Public Chapter 1101 of 1998.  For future planning efforts the Urban Growth Boundary serves as the city’s planning area.

Chapter 9 – The Development Plan

In this Chapter the plan for the future development of the city and its urban growth area is presented.  The Development Plan is derived from the analyses discussed above.  The Development Plan consists of two components.  The first component is the establishment of development goals and objectives and the identification of policies to achieve these goals and objectives.  The second component is the Future Land Use Concept Plan, which visually presents the city’s vision for future growth and development.

Chapter 10 – Plan Implementation

A plan is of little use unless it is implemented.  This Chapter is divided into two parts.  The first part reviews the methods by which the city can implement the Plan.  The second part consists of an Implementation Schedule.  This schedule presents specific strategies for achieving the goals and objectives for the individual land use categories and establishes time frames for completion.

General Summary

In many ways a comprehensive plan represents a “snap shot in time.”  As you review the plan you may note that some information is already out-of-date.  For example the nearly three square miles of land annexed from June of 2000 to January of 2001 is not included as a part of the city in the plan.  Most municipalities are in a constant state of change; therefore a point in time must be selected to complete the required analyses.  Updates of the plan are important.  Ideally updates should be completed approximately every five years. 

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Cookeville Comprehensive Future Land Use Plan, 1999-2020 please contact the Cookeville City Planner at jam@cookeville-tn.org or (931) 520-5238.

Download the Comprehensive Plan (Adobe Acrobat PDF file, 2.4MB)

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