CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Restoring Clarksville Initiative (RCI) Task Force has finished its initial work, which included creating a comprehensive strategy for cleaning up and beautifying the city. Its efforts will now be handed off for full implementation by the Building & Codes Department.
After meeting monthly for about a year-and-a-half, the Task Force created by Mayor Joe Pitts and led by Task Force Chairman and former City Councilman Deanna McLaughlin will hand over the scope of work for RCI to Building & Codes effective July 1, the beginning of the 2026-27 fiscal year, according to a city press release.
“RCI was originally conceived as a major initiative of our administration, to back up, even as our city grows, and address particularly those older neighborhoods that need rejuvenation and revitalization,” Pitts said in the release.
“I could not be more pleased with the Task Force leadership that Deanna McLaughlin provided, as a launch pad for this major initiative, and because of her passionate work for RCI, we have a sustainable, permanent agenda for the future of making Clarksville better, one neighborhood at a time,” Pitts said.
“I’m honestly so proud of the work the Restoring Clarksville Initiative Task Force has put in,” McLaughlin said. “From the start, we were determined not to be just another committee that sits in a room and talks; we wanted to get out there and actually move the needle.
“I am incredibly grateful for the faith of Mayor Pitts, the cooperation of our City departments, and the vital involvement of our citizens – this truly was a team effort. “By cleaning up neglected properties, we’re making our city safer, and seeing this kind of progress is a massive win for our entire community,” she said.
Demolitions of abandoned buildings
RCI has been seeking to identify, inventory, review and evaluate properties in the City that are in decline due to economic factors or property owner neglect, the release said. Under the Building & Codes Department, structural demolitions have been conducted at abandoned locations that have been deemed eyesores and possible crime centers.
Some of the more-noteworthy demolitions have occurred at 301 Providence Blvd., 1380 Fort Campbell Blvd., and 2133 Fort Campbell Blvd.
Clearing titles with “land bank authority”
Under Clarksville Neighborhood & Community Services (CNCS), recently-adopted State enabling legislation authorizing a local land bank, together with the proposed launch of the Clear Title Program in July 2026, provides Clarksville with two powerful tools to advance RCI, by activating vacant and abandoned properties.
A future land bank authority will allow the City of Clarksville and Montgomery County to strategically acquire, hold, and redevelop tax-delinquent and underutilized properties for affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and infill development, the release said.
This directly addresses one of the key findings of the recently-completed Housing Needs Assessment: that the cost and availability of developable land is a major barrier to affordable housing production in Clarksville.
The Clear Title Program complements these efforts by helping property owners and heirs resolve legal barriers such as probate issues, heirship disputes, tax delinquencies, and title defects that often leave properties vacant for years.
Who’s been involved in RCI Task Force?
The RCI task force has included, in addition to representatives from Building & Codes – Codes Enforcement, participants from the Building & Facilities Maintenance Department, Forester, Communications, Finance & Revenue – Grants Office, Fire Rescue, Neighborhood & Community Services, Police Department, Street Department – Geographic Information System (GIS) Division, and Legal Department.
Additionally, RCI has had active representation from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission, the Canopy Initiative, Austin Peay State University President’s Emerging Leaders Program, and the Clarksville Mayor’s Youth Council, as well as Tennessee Department of Transportation.
| DON’T MISS A LOCAL STORY: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter