CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – VP Riverside won approval Thursday night to have the around 30 acres of land on the Vulcan property rezoned from General Industrial District (M-2) to a Mixed Use Planned Unit Development (MXU-PUD).
With the City Council approving the second reading during a special session, they have now paved way for development of the Vulcan Mixed Use and Entertainment District.
At the heart of the entertainment district will be a baseball stadium, which will be a 2,500-fixed-seat facility with a maximum capacity of 4,000 people. The development also includes:
- A 100-room hotel with 105 parking spaces.
- A brewery with 56 parking spaces.
- 65,400 square feet of retail with 261 parking spaces.
- Open-space sidewalks and plazas.
- A bus pull-off.
- 330 apartment units.
In addition to the projects listed above, Todd Glover, spokesperson for VP Riverside, said that several local officials have told him the Red River district is considered a food desert, so they’ve been actively recruiting to place some type of retail grocery there. They’ve considered options such as Trader Joes and Bodega.
Glover added to his comments by saying the sports and entertainment complex could also host weekend farmer’s markets to provide fresh produce for the Clarksville community.
Economic impact
The development is expected to promote economic growth for the entire 105 acres of the Vulcan Frosty Morn Redevelopment District, according to previous reports.
Buck Dellinger, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council, spoke for the project during the first reading and pointed out numerous benefits.
He said the project will help strengthen the city’s tax base, “with the potential for increase of at least 140 times the base value,” and the potential property taxes for the 30-acre project would be somewhere in the ballpark of $492,000.
With additional baseball and softball tournaments in Clarksville, the projected hotel tax revenue could total $10 million per year.
The EDC expects for the Vulcan redevelopment to create 300 new jobs, however, only 10% of the opportunities will be higher-paid salary positions.
VP Riverside expects to address multiple traffic concerns surrounding the project, which includes creating a left turn lane at Hornberger Lane and the realignment of the intersection at Red River and College Street.
Special Session comments
Before the council voted, Councilperson Wanda Smith said that when projects are brought before the council, they need to remember to speak with the residents.
Smith added that she hopes the hotel being built doesn’t turn into a catastrophe, and they need to think about widening College Street and building sidewalks all the way around the Red River neighborhood.
When the votes were tallied, the Vulcan development passed 9-1 with councilperson Brian Zacharias voting no. Councilpersons Dajuan Little, Wanda Allen and Karen Reynolds were not in attendance.
With VP Riverside winning their rezoning case, they will now look to close on a deal with its partners, which they hope to accomplish by the beginning of 2024. After coming to terms, the next step would be the design phase, which is estimated to take around six to eight months.
VP Riverside may seek a TIF for the baseball stadium portion of the development, but Glover said the hotel, retail and the apartments will be 100% privately funded.