A new Cookeville Veterans Administration facility will be located on Neal Street, rather than on the site of the old County Fairgrounds.
A public announcement has not been made, but a listing on a federal government website shows the selection was made September 29. The total price tag of the lease agreement, some $55 million. The federal government has accepted a 20-year lease for the new VA Outpatient Facility, but a 15-day comment period is underway before it can be finalized.
The Neal Street facility would be located to the east of the Cookeville Police Department across from the Infinity Medical Building. The facility would include some 43-thousand square feet and and 250 parking spaces. A Marietta, Georgia developer is working with the VA on the project.
It is unclear whether the current government shutdown would impact the comment period.
The VA had looked at multiple properties in Putnam County to build a larger Cookeville facility to serve the Upper Cumberland. The fairgrounds appeared to be a front runner because of its accessibility. The county had set aside acreage at the corner of Veterans and Walnut in the current parking area to build the facility.
A developer continues to work on plans for the entire Fairgrounds space. The VA decision could send those plans in different directions. While it has long been believed the fairgrounds property would be a retail-oriented center, the development of Eagles Point as well as the new Target/Home Depot shopping center might serve all the major retailers expected to locate in Cookeville. Both developments also feature outparcels and smaller retail space.
The health of the retail industry has been overshadowed this year by store closures including Party City, JoAnn, Walgreen’s, Big Lots and Rite Aid.