CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – An effort to stop the growth of liquor stores in Clarksville shifted Thursday night – at the end of a four-hour meeting – to a move to abolish all limits on the number of liquor licenses in the city.

Leading the effort to stop additional liquor stores was Councilwoman Wanda Smith. She cited records on DUI arrests, crashes and fatalities provided to her by the Clarksville Police Department.

“We have a chance to change the trajectory, to not open unnecessary liquor stores,” Smith said. “This city makes a profit from liquor store licenses and sales taxes, which is not worth the death of a Clarksville citizen.”

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Leading the pushback to eliminate restrictions on the number was Councilwoman Deanna McLaughlin, who said part of the issue is a liquor store owner who has two licenses. She says he’s had a “change of heart” and doesn’t want any more stores to open. However, he won’t give up his own licenses, which suggests this is a matter of not wanting competition, McLaughlin said.

If the city is going to put limits on businesses, McLaughlin said, “Why just liquor stores? We aren’t limiting the number of check cashing stores or vape shops.”

She also pointed out the irony that earlier the same evening, the council voted to approve a new wine shop as part of the consent agenda, unanimously and without debate.

What’s the current situation?

There are currently 14 liquor stores in Clarksville, with an additional two licensed in July that haven’t yet opened. That means 16 active licenses.

City Code allows for one liquor store for every 6,000 residents in the official Census, so that means Clarksville could, in theory, currently have up to 27 stores. But, to keep the increase in stores moderated, that same code allows for only two new licenses to be issued every even-numbered year. That could result in a total of 30 stores by the year 2040, or one store in every 3.31 square miles, according to Smith’s proposed ordinance.

Clarksville had only 12 stores for a long time, according to previous reports. Thursday night, McLaughlin pointed out that the council has debated changing the number of licenses several times in recent memory: in 2021, 2016, 2014 and 2011.

Council questions impact of licenses

The discussion Thursday was complicated by the council meeting at the Planning Commission because of Council Chambers renovations. Members had to conduct oral roll call votes without the use of their normal voting technology, leading to some humorous banter as members tried to keep up.

In a debate also marked by confused overlapping amendments, motions to postpone, and a delay while the city attorney researched a procedural question, council members offered several perspectives on what should be done, often referencing their own experiences with the dangers of alcohol.

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“I’m not wanting a liquor store on every corner, or to have them just in some areas of the city, but I cannot support stopping them altogether,” said Councilwoman Stacey Streetman. She said she lost a family member to a drunk driver, but changing the number of liquor stores wouldn’t have changed that.

Councilmember Dajuan Little agreed, saying solving problems with binge drinking will “require a deeper conversation.” “The number of liquor stores is dwarfed by all the places you can get alcohol. We have 200-plus places you can buy alcohol right now,” he said.

Councilmember Wallace Redd said that as someone who used to drink, he knows restricting the locations will only make people drive longer distances. “I don’t understand how you can stop traffic accidents by putting limits on a business that’s legal,” he said, adding that if there’s evidence that works, he’d like to see it. “If you’re going to allow one, you have to allow them all. The marketplace will supply the limit.”

The ordinance was amended to remove the section that puts limits on the number of liquor stores in Clarksville, but the first vote on the amended ordinance was postponed until the next regular City Council meeting on Oct. 3. Some council members expressed a desire to revise that section of the code with less-restrictive limits.

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