The Cookeville Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance Thursday allowing the owners of the McGugin Gas Station property on South Willow Avenue at I-40 to redevelop its site to include a national coffee chain drive-thru.
Cookeville Planner Christopher Phillips told the board that the variance was necessary to accommodate a complete redevelopment of the site, which currently houses a Shell station.
“The proposed project includes a combined convenience store coffee drive-thru, a gas canopy and parking for the development,” Phillips said. “Due to the limited site area of 0.93 acres and irregularly shaped property lines, the trash enclosures need to encroach on the east side east building setback to allow for safe truck circulation of the site.”
The approved request reduces the required rear yard setback from 10 feet to just one foot to accommodate the new dumpster enclosure. Phillips said the city’s Director of Public Works reviewed the location and deemed it acceptable for trash truck access.
“The site plan depicts a drive-thru with the required 12-foot bypass lane,” Phillips said. “The request to place the dumpster enclosure within the setback is to provide adequate space for the drive-thru and bypass lanes.”
Officials noted that the property is effectively a corner lot due to the interstate ramp, though access is restricted to Willow Avenue. The new layout positions the trash enclosure back-to-back with existing dumpsters on the adjacent commercial property.
“But our big thing here is they’re looking at a national coffee chain there too, and you know, we want to make sure we maintain those bypass lanes for folks that get in in drive-thrus, and that’s what’s kind of squeezed this side of the building,” a planning official said.
Board members confirmed the project involves a complete demolition of the current building to reposition the store and fuel pumps. The variance ensures that despite the tight fit, delivery trucks and waste management vehicles can navigate the lot safely.
“I’ll make the motion to approve the variance from 10 feet to 1 foot for 1 foot for the proposed dumpster enclosure,” a board member said.
The motion carried unanimously.