CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – An abandoned gas station on Madison Street could become the site of a new apartment complex and commercial space.
Jennifer Willoughby, who owns several residential properties downtown, recently presented Clarksville’s IDB TIF Advisory Committee with her plan for an old gas station property on the corner of Madison Street and Academy Avenue. She estimated the cost of the project at slightly over $6.1 million.
Willoughby told committee members the site is currently unoccupied and “not contributing anything to Madison Street.”
“It’s great to see life coming to a corner that is dead,” Willoughby said.
Apartments with urban feel
Willoughby seeks to build on the .85-acre site a 57-unit apartment complex with four floors and a mezzanine.
The apartment building will include two-bedroom, one-bedroom and studio apartments ranging in price from $795 to $1,295 per month (water and trash included). The L-shaped building will occupy the western edge of the property, directly adjoining the sidewalk, with parking in the front and back.
The gas station building on the site will be kept and renovated. Willoughby is seeking a tenant for the old building, which she hopes will be used for a restaurant or retail location.
“I’m not sure what I’m more excited about,” Brandi Husband, who works with Willoughby, told Clarksville Now. “If this beauty comes to fruition, we would then be actively searching for a tenant, a business that would enhance downtown Clarksville, to occupy the old garage. Maybe a bistro or barbecue restaurant?
“We are open to suggestions and invite businesses who may be interested to contact us, pending the proposal is approved.”
Parking
County Commissioner Rashida Leverett, whose district includes the property, attended the presentation and asked Willoughby about parking.
Willoughby said the apartment building will have fewer parking spaces than units, and that studio apartments will likely not include a parking space. “It is more important to have the people than the parking spots,” she said, adding that it’s time for downtown Clarksville to embrace a more walkable way of living.
One committee member suggested that some tenants may park at the First Christian Church neighboring the property to the west, though Willoughby said no such agreement has been made at this time.
The project has been approved by design committees and the IDB TIF Advisory Committee. It will go before the Regional Planning Commission next month. The project must also be approved by local government.
Willoughby told IDB committee members she hopes to have the project approved and completed by fall of 2022.
Willoughby has redeveloped and renovated several historic spaces downtown, most notably the old Methodist church building, which had been proposed for demolition.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article should have said that the estimated the cost of the project at slightly over $6.1 million. It has since been updated.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article should have said that a committee member suggested that some tenants may park at the First Christian Church neighboring the property to the west. It has since been updated.