CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – During the executive session of the City Council on Thursday, PB&J Properties proposed a zone change for around 2.88 acres of land as they look to develop a five-story apartment building downtown. The applicant is proposing the land transition from R-1 family residential district to Planned Unit Development (PUD).
The apartment building would be at the northeast corner of Riverside Drive and Cumberland Drive. The building would be made up of 72 apartment units and 125 parking spaces. Out of those units, 32 are one-bedroom apartments while the other 40 are two bedrooms.
The west wing facing Riverside Drive is expected to be five stories tall, and the north wing facing Edgehill Drive is expected to be four stories.
The applicant believes the proposed use will provide much-needed housing downtown, while providing additional economic activity for the local community. They also state the land lies within a qualified opportunity zone, which encourages redevelopment.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission recommended approval, and their study found there is sufficient infrastructure to support high-density development.
The Clarksville Street Department has called for 24 feet of two-way traffic improvements, according to documents within the application (page 12).
A number of citizens voiced objections about the rezoning. Many said they are worried about traffic congestion and road infrastructure in the area, which was a point of conversation during Thursday night’s meeting.
Call for traffic impact assessment
Councilpersons Brian Zacharius and Travis Holleman said they too were concerned about traffic in the area of Riverside and Cumberland.
Zacharius noted the application did not have a traffic impact assessment and asked what size development is needed to trigger a study.
RPC spokesperson John Spainhoward said 100 peak hour trips are needed to meet the threshold, and the application does not meet that criteria. However, it was later determined an assessment could be conducted at the request of the City Council.
Holleman said he’s worried about the intersection and the backroads.
“Adding a PUD to an extremely busy intersection … how is this not going to create massive traffic problems?” Holleman asked. “Logic pretty much dictates that if you want to avoid the intersection, you’ll want to go in through the backroads, and those backroads are really narrow. … This is where it would force all of the traffic.”
To address Holleman’s concerns, Street Department Director David Smith came to the lectern and said his department had the same concerns, which is one reason they called for 24 feet of two-way traffic improvements.
These proposed improvements include:
- Edgehill Drive access to the development will be moved east away from Riverside Drive to create a safer access to the development and Riverside Drive.
- An additional 5 feet of pavement will be added to the south frontage of Edgehill Drive for the depth of the development to improve roadway access.
The rezoning will be up for a vote at the City Council’s next meeting, on Thursday, Feb. 1.