CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After years of discussion over several proposed locations, a 61-acre site on the new Spring Creek Parkway off Wilma Rudolph Boulevard has been selected for the new Clarksville VA Clinic, which is expected to be six times bigger than the existing facility.
To make the project happen, 61.82 acres near Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and North Edgewood Place has been proposed for rezoning from agriculture district to C-5 highway and arterial commercial district. North Edgewood is part of the under-construction Spring Creek Parkway, which will connect Wilma Rudolph Boulevard to Trenton Road. The VA Clinic will be just to the west of the Walmart Supercenter.
Baston-East Land Company is the applicant for the rezone request.
“We are excited about the new clinic project, which will help VA ensure more veterans receive care when and where they need it and have a positive impact on the community,” VA Chief of Public Affairs Hannah McDuffie told Clarksville Now. “The Wilma Rudolph Blvd./I-24 location was chosen because of its accessibility for the greatest number of veterans.
“Scheduled to open in 2030, the clinic will provide a significant expansion of services, which will reduce the need for veterans to travel to the Nashville VA Medical Center for certain services. We will keep the community informed through town halls, our website, social media, email and regular mail as this project progresses,” said McDuffie.
3 other sites considered for VA Clinic
Clarksville has been the target for a new 235,000-square-foot multi-specialty VA Clinic for more than three years. The big question has always been where the new clinic will be located.
The VA Clinic had been proposed as the anchor tenant for an office park off Ted Crozier Boulevard that is planned to include a conference center and hotel. That office park remains under development by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council.
In response to the chosen VA Clinic location, EDC CEO/President Buck Dellinger told Clarksville Now, “The EDC is pleased that the VA has decided to significantly upgrade the quantity and likely add specialty care options that currently are only available in Nashville. This is great for our growing veteran population. It will provide more care close to where veterans live in our growing community.”
The two other sites publicly discussed were a location the city annexed just north of Exit 4, and a property that developer Rudy Johnson proposed for rezoning between Clarksville High School and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
How VA Clinic project originated
Under the PACT Act passed by Congress in 2022, the federal government planned to spend $5.5 billion to build 31 new VA facilities across the nation, according to previous reports. These facilities were said to be in 19 states, with three of those in Tennessee: in Cookeville, Nashville and Clarksville.
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The VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System noted that Clarksville has experienced rapid growth in recent years, particularly in the veteran population. That’s why they sized the new Clarksville VA Clinic to accommodate and serve approximately 35,000 enrollees, McDuffie previously said.
In 2018, the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System opened a then-new Clarksville VA clinic at 782 Weatherly Drive, and that was around 40,000 square feet.
At 235,000 square feet, the new clinic will be 195,000 square feet larger, almost six times the size. The square footage could vary for the new project as it progresses, but only by a small percentage, according to previous reports.
The existing Weatherly Drive VA Clinic isn’t going away. It will transition to a VA facility for physical, medical and rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy.
‘Developments like this are more than buildings’
Carnegie Management & Development Corporation, based out of Westlake, Ohio, will serve as the developer on the project and said it is an honor to have the opportunity to help shape a project of this scale and significance in the Clarksville area.
“Developments like this are more than buildings, they are long-term investments aimed at enhancing the community, improving access to care for our nation’s heroes, and providing significant economic impact, Carnegie said in a statement to Clarksville Now.
“Our work is deeply rooted in a longstanding and meaningful relationship with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and we approach every project with a profound sense of responsibility to serve those who have served. Being entrusted with this mission is both a privilege and a commitment we carry forward with great pride. Carnegie Management and Development Corp. is long-term focused so we will be with this project today, tomorrow, and for the next 20 years and beyond. The Clarksville VA Clinic represents Carnegie’s 12th VA project, all of which are still under our ownership and management.”
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