Updated with additional quotes.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville City Council voted to send back to the Regional Planning Commission an ordinance that would have rezoned around 2.88 acres of land from R-1 to Planned Unit Development (PUD) and paved way for a 5-story apartment building.
The applicant, PB&J Properties, proposed the apartment building at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Cumberland Drive with 72 apartment units and 125 parking spaces. Of the apartment units, 32 would be one-bedroom, while the other 40 would be two-bedroom.
During the last session, numerous council members voiced concerns about traffic near the intersection.
Residents address their concerns
On Thursday night, several residents, many holding signs, showed up to protest the rezoning.
Charlotte Nelms said she opposes the land being rezoned from R-1 to PUD because the density of the occupancy for the purposed building, plus the issues that will follow.
“This property is located at the heaviest traveled intersection of the city with over 40,000 vehicles daily,” Nelms said. “It is not a convenient location for linkage and accessibility to places a large group of tenants will want to travel. … The addition of more than 125 vehicles generated by this high-density property will add to the already congested traffic at Riverside and Cumberland.”
Resident Dawn Miller referenced the RPC’s Land Use Plan and quoted from its prologue: “Few feeling are as distressing as the one experienced by having incompatible land use move too close to that small area of the earth’s surface that a person calls home.”
She went on to say Planned Unit Developments should have an abundance of amenities in close proximity, and they should be safe for travel, a point councilperson Karen Reynolds made earlier in the night. Miller said the development being proposed is just another apartment complex, which checked all the boxes for the minimum PUD requirements.
Council sends it back
After hearing their community out, the City Council voted 10-3 to refer the rezoning case back to the Regional Planning Commission until a traffic impact assessment is completed and the RPC can address any other concerns.
Those voting no included councilpersons Wallace Redd, Travis Holleman and Joe Shakeenab. Before the vote was taken, Holleman told the other council members they should go ahead and vote down the rezoning based off the amount of people who came out to protest the development.
Details surrounding the 5-story apartment
The west wing of the building facing Riverside Drive would be five stories tall, and the north wing facing Edgehill Drive is expected to be four stories.
PB&J Properties said 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 RPC recommended approval, and their study found there is sufficient infrastructure to support high-density development.
The Clarksville Street Department called for a number of road improvements as part of the plan, and Director David Smith said the Street Departments comments were:
- Widen Manning Heights to 24 feet.
- As Manning Heights extends to Cumberland Drive, widen Cumberland to 18 feet, adding roughly 2 feet of average asphalt.
- With the widening, it would allow two-way traffic in this location.
The development is set to gain a portion of land owned by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), which is contingent on the Clarksville City Council approving the submitted PUD plan when it comes around next month. The portion of land would be used as a 24-foot travel easement and areas for landscaping.
Smith said TDOT has a healthy right-of-way, which would accept the widening of the roadway without the need to acquire any private property.
Other City Council action
Also on Thursday, the City Council approved the second reading of a plan for the city to purchase the Clarksville Speedway. This allows Mayor Joe Pitts, through the city attorney or his designee, to enter into an agreement for purchase of the property at 1600 Needmore Road.
In addition, the council approved the second reading of an ordinance from the Clarksville Gas and Water Department, to raise a number of customer rates, service fees and other charges. The majority of price modifications are set to go into effect July 1.
There were numerous attempts to amend the Gas and Water ordinance, however, each one failed. The ordinance was approved 8-5 with council members Dajuan Little, Redd, Wanda Smith, Wanda Allen and Reynolds voting no.
The council members that voted yes included Brian Zacharias, Deanna McLaughlin, Ambar Marquis, Holleman, Stacey Streetman, Shakeenab and Keri Lovato, along with Pitts.