CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City Council voted on Thursday to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to extend the Madison Street Corridor Urban Design Overlay District up Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to Interstate 24.

Councilperson Stacey Streetman, who first proposed the ordinance in 2019, said it’s nice to see the proposal come full circle.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway is one of the entry points to our community,” Streetman told Clarksville Now. “We’re welcoming people in to see what Clarksville is all about. We want those areas to look nice. Unfortunately, in the five years it has taken for it to come forward, we’ve had a lot of development that has occurred on MLK. However, this won’t stop it from being effected, but it could have been a lot more effective several years ago.

“But it’s in place now, and moving forward anything that comes about, they’re going to have to fit in those design overlays. Even during those five years, we’ve had a lot of nice things that have been built. This protects their investments as well.”

The resolution passed second reading unanimously.

Additional design overlay district studies

The council also voted to approve two studies by the Regional Planning Commission on creating two additional design overlays.

At Tuesday’s executive session meeting, Councilperson Deanna McLaughlin brought forward a resolution that proposed a study for Fort Campbell Boulevard from Dover Road to Stateline Road. Councilperson Wanda Allen proposed for the same for Tiny Town Road.

McLaughlin explained that unfettered development can lead to a host of problems that decrease property values, which leads to a reduction in the overall property tax base. However, an overlay district can lead to an increase in real property values, which then increases the property tax base and will “help to maintain, sustain and increase city services without property tax increases,” according to city documents.

The resolution says overlay districts also enhance the aesthetics of cities by imposing architectural design guidelines and signage standards, improve traffic safety and interconnectivity, and lead to new businesses.

Wings of Liberty Museum

McLaughlin also brought up that the Tennessee Wings of Liberty Museum is scheduled to open in the early fall of 2025, which is another reason she’s hoping fellow council members vote in favor of the study.

“Fort Campbell Boulevard will be the route that museum visitors will take to visit our downtown and riverfront,” McLaughlin said. “Design overlays and redevelopment pockets along Fort Campbell Boulevard have been discussed since 2017 and need to be updated and clarified for the welfare of the citizens.”

McLaughlin said the new Clarksville-Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan, adopted earlier this year, speaks to planning area improvements needed along Fort Campbell Boulevard.

“I know what Mr. (Jeff) Tyndall is going to say; he’s going to suggest we pump the brakes and wait until all of the processes are done on the rezoning (codes update),” McLaughlin said. “He’s aware I’ve tried to do this before; it was actually two years ago. … As hard as we’ve tried to enforce codes, it’s not enough to really make a difference when we have that museum opening. I hear from constituents quite often, and I know the other council members who touch Fort Campbell Boulevard do as well.

“It would be nice for us to be able to have services on the Fort Campbell Boulevard area versus having to travel to Exit 4, or challenged by the fact that we don’t have an interstate exit that has the car trips. 374 will probably never be pushed across the river in our lifetime, which would also add more car trips. Hopefully, we can work together with the Planning Commission to get some kind of standards out there with redevelopment pockets like mentioned in the Comprehensive Plan. We may be able to get a jump start on this long talked about design overlay.”

‘Those things can still be incorporated’

Streetman spoke in favor of the proposed studies at Tuesday’s meeting as well. “I understand pumping the brakes for a citywide plan that could come about with the rezoning rewrite. However, as we’ve stated before, those things could still be incorporated,” Streetman said.

“Whatever we decide, or bring forward and put into place, could still be incorporated as part of that zoning rewrite, but the sooner you can get on the front end of this the better.”

Allen said of her proposed ordinance, “Tiny Town Road is a big growing area; we’d like it to be neat, nice, and something to look forward to when we go to that side of town.”

Each study passed by a vote of 11-1 with Councilperson Ambar Marquis voting no. Marquis said she wasn’t against either proposed study, rather, she wanted to wait for the rezoning code rewrites to be completed before moving forward.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Sign up for our free Clarksville Now app