CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – In January this year, the Restoring Clarksville Initiative was announced. Part of that initiative is to tear down and demolish old and abandoned buildings, or get the owners to clean them up, and there’s a long list to work from.
So far, the group is working with a list of over 100 such buildings, and the list is growing, Building and Codes Director Justin Crosby said at the Feb. 25 RCI Task Force meeting.
“We made a list for the purpose of getting the conversation started surrounding abandoned property and RCI,” Crosby told Clarksville Now. “The properties that are on the list range from the smallest of code violations to completely abandoned and empty lots.”
He said properties on the list could simply be cited, or they could be considered for demolition. The goal of the initiative is to improve areas of Clarksville such as buildings and streets. Over the month of February, the group has begun demolishing some buildings.
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“We’ve got two buildings that need to come down on Fort Campbell Boulevard,” Crosby said. “At the corner of Charlemagne and Fort Campbell Boulevard there’s an old car wash that’s been a source of issues for years. It is on the ground being cleaned up as we speak.” That’s at 1380 Fort Campbell Blvd.
“At the corner of Tobacco Road and Fort Campbell Boulevard there’s an old dilapidated tattoo shop that was a Realtor’s office, that was a house years ago.” He said the permit for that, at 2133 Fort Campbell Blvd., has been pulled, and demolition will to start sometime next week.
‘They weren’t historic buildings,” Clarksville Neighborhood and Community Services Director Michelle Austin added.
The initiative plans to continue working on demolition, cleaning up old buildings, and fixing street lights. The Restoring Clarksville Initiative will meet again on Tuesday, March 25, at 4 p.m.
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