CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – At the ends of Freestone and Elberta Drive, properties have been known to flood for years, with one longtime resident calling this area of the subdivision “Lake Elberta.” Now, the City of Clarksville has stepped in with a drastic solution, identifying six homes to purchase and demolish.
The six homes in northwest Clarksville are ones that routinely take on water in the finished floor elevation.
Mayor Joe Pitts told Clarksville Now on Monday that the city has have made offers to the six property owners for appraised value. So far, four have agreed, one rejected because they preferred not to sell, and one continues to discuss the sale of their property with the city.
Pitts said the plan is to replace the demolished homes with a park/green space for neighbors to enjoy.
PREVIOUSLY: Flooding in Clarksville: What should be done when dream homes become nightmares?
Elberta Drive area residents have experienced flooding three times in recent years: on Memorial Day 2024, in February 2025 and in April 2025, amid historic rainfall across Clarksville.
Last year, the Clarksville City Council amended the fiscal year 2024-25 budget to include $500,000 toward studying drainage mitigation around Elberta Drive and Love Street, and residents had been waiting ever since to hear what the solution would be.
Clarksville Now has reached out to Elberta Drive residents for comment.
What about flooding in Woodstock, other areas?
When asked about the possibility of purchasing flood-prone homes in other areas of Clarksville, including the Woodstock neighborhood, Pitts declined to comment.
The city has released a short- and long-term Woodstock flooding mitigation solution that would improve the flood basin and pump water out of the subdivision to nearby streams.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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