CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – More than 99 acres that sit east of Exit 11 have been proposed for annexation by the City of Clarksville, at the request of the current property owners ahead of the land purchase by Ascension St. Thomas Health Care.
The applicant is also looking to rezone around 60 acres from agricultural to C-2 general commercial to match the commercial acreage on existing parcels, according to Regional Planning Commission Director Jeff Tyndall.
The parcels sit north of Highway 76, east of Hornbuckle Road and west of Little Hope Road.
The hospital will require Clarksville Transit System bus service.
“The plan of service did not identify any areas of need, with the exception of CTS. Due to a hospital being there, a bus route would have to be extended to meet that once the hospital is open,” Tyndall told the City Council on Thursday. “I’ll say that need is there whether it’s in the city or not, because it’s in the urbanized area.”
Restaurant, retail also planned on site
The annexation documents analyzed the impact to city services of what is planned at the site, revealing that retail and a restaurant will likely be part of the mix:
- 226,500 square feet of full-service hospital.
- 256,000 square feet of medical office buildings.
- 25,200 square feet of retail plaza.
- 25,200 square feet of high-turnover restaurant.
- 1 EMS station.
“City limits currently ends on the south side just past Neptune Drive,” Tyndall said. “On the north side it ends at Living Hope Baptist Church. The current ER by Vanderbilt is within city limits there, so this would round out that northside of the city limits. Holly Point subdivision to the north is also in the city limits.
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“This property would have connections to (Highway) 76, Little Hope Road, and they are also looking to try to get a driveway to Hornbuckle as well to get as many entrances into a hospital site as possible,” he said.
Tyndall said the RPC has already received concept plans from Ascension St. Thomas. “We’re working through it with them,” he said. “It’s a big project as you can understand for both the community and for the amount of work that needs to be done on this site.”
What is planned at Ascension Saint Thomas site
Ascension Saint Thomas is a Nashville faith-based, nonprofit hospital system. They plan to build a 44-bed hospital in Clarksville, expandable to 132 beds. The $148.5 million investment will create approximately 250 healthcare jobs. Construction should begin in 2026, and it’s expected to open in 2028.
Also planned on the AST campus is a 40-bed rehabilitation hospital in partnership with Lifepoint Rehabilitation, a public-private partnership with Montgomery County to build a new EMS station, as well as partnerships with Tennessee Oncology and Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, two of the state’s leading physician groups, who will provide specialized cancer, orthopedic, and surgical care.
Needed road improvements in area
Mayor Joe Pitts asked Tyndall to clarify if Little Hope Road is within city limits. Tyndall said it is not.
“The C-2 on the corner there is in the city limits, but it does access the county road. We left that in the county. They will have to do some road improvements on it, but they’ll coordinate with the county out there,” Tyndall said.
“There are a lot of improvements that are needed in the area for the buildout of this entire site. We anticipate, in talking with the clients, that the medical office buildings be first, the hospital will follow immediately thereafter. … I’m sure this hospital will not be built in just one phase; it will probably be a multi-phase build over many years.”
The Clarksville City Council will meet next for regular, voting session meeting on Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m., in Council Chambers, 106 Public Square.
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