CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – On Thursday night, the City Council approved the first reading of a 200-acre rezoning case for a major, big-box retailer in Clarksville next to Governors Square Mall.
The anchor tenant alone is expected to bring in 800 jobs and $6.5 million in annual sales tax revenue for the city and county to split, according to previous reports. However, the tenant won’t be named until the rezone passes second reading next month.
Rezoning background
The applicant is looking to transition from two zoning classifications, R-1 and M-3, to three commercial zoning classifications. Here’s how the proposal is broken down:
- Around 98 acres would transition to C-3.
- Around 95 acres would transition to C-4.
- Around 7 acres would transition to C-5.
Clarksville lawyer Larry Rocconi spoke on behalf of the applicant, Virginia James and the Jason Feltner family, at the latest RPC meeting, as well as at Thursday’s City Council meeting.
Rocconi said this project is transformative for the area and pointed out that the developer is Oldacre McDonald. According to their website, Oldacre McDonald has 570 developments in 28 states, and they showcase working with brands such as Costco, ALDI, Target, and Publix. Costco is one of the only brands on that list that Clarksville doesn’t currently have.
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Rocconi said that they have two different roadway connections to the property, and the developer has planned to take on an extension of Spring Creek Parkway through their development and connect it with Ted A. Crozier Sr. Boulevard.
“At the developer’s expense, they will build internal roads that will connect these parcels … then dedicate them to the city,” Rocconi said at Thursday’s meeting. “At that point, we’re going to extend Spring Creek Parkway from the Feltner lot over. All of this is done at zero cost to the city.”
Rocconi said that after getting through second reading, they are set to hold a major announcement, and they plan to move fast.
‘We named the project Freedom Farms, an homage to the 101st Airborne’
Co-founder of Oldacre McDonald Mark McDonald also spoke in favor of the proposal Thursday night. McDonald said it’s a special piece of property in an extraordinary location.
“It creates an extraordinary opportunity for the community to see the property developed. We named the project Freedom Farms, an homage to the 101st Airborne (Division),” he said. “Clarksville has not seen this kind of development in the city. To be fair, much of this is because nobody’s had a large enough piece of property to justify the expense of creating this type of vision.
“We intend to create something special, friendly, walkable and cool. While it’s a little too early to name specific tenants, because we’re waiting for corporate approval, I can certainly say that there are several unique retailers interested in the market,” McDonald said.
‘Healthy and growing retailers are looking for special places to grow’
He then posed a question, why now? He said the answer is Clarksville’s growth. “The growth of the population is important, but almost as important is the average household income is strong and growing,” McDonald said.
He added that the population compared to other cities in the state is very young. “Which means people’s economic opportunities will continue to expand, and their incomes will expand with it,” he said. “Healthy and growing retailers are looking for special places to grow.” While the mix of tenants is very much a work in progress, McDonald said they expect to include a significant discount retailer, a New York-based white tablecloth steak restaurant, a rehab hospital, a health club and over 600 apartments and condominiums.
He said there will be plenty of new-to-the-state restaurants, as well as retailers.
McDonald said there will be thousands of variations to the site plan before the project is completed, which will be driven by market forces, tenant expansion plans, available land and their drive to create a unique mix of tenants for the market.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Before the vote took place, Councilperson Tim Chandler told his fellow council members that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I’ve been living here nearly 70 years,” Chandler said. “This is a one-time shot for us; this will put us on the map. It’s not only going to serve Clarksville-Montgomery County, but it’s (also) going to serve Springfield, all of the southern Kentucky area and Dover.”
Councilperson Stacey Streetman added, “This is a wonderful project for our community. I know it seems as though the public is very excited with the opportunities that could be coming for Clarksville. I know they weren’t able to confirm or deny anything at the RPC meeting, and they still couldn’t do it here. But, there’s been a lot of speculation and excitement that’s come about from this.”
Councilperson Deanna McLaughlin said the project’s biggest competitor, the Cafaro family, who own Governor’s Square Mall, actually sent the council an email of support for the project. “I was very impressed by the fact that they are welcoming competition right across the street,” McLaughlin said.
The City Council approved the first reading of the rezoning 12-1. Councilperson Travis Holleman was the lone no vote.
Correction: the council approved the rezone 12-1.
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