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Planner urges study to restore Clarksville town square; proposal would remove 36 parking spaces
Summary
A resident town planner presented two concepts to restore Clarksville’s historic town square, asking the county to authorize a feasibility study contingent on replacing any lost on-street parking; commissioners agreed to review and coordinate with the city and GDOT before acting.
A town planner and Clarksville resident asked the Habersham County Commission on March 17 to study restoring Clarksville’s historic town square to include two linear greens for civic events and pedestrian safety, a concept that would remove roughly 36 on-street parking spaces if implemented.
Lou Oliver, who identified himself as a town planner and Clarksville resident, presented two design options he said he had discussed with Georgia Department of Transportation staff (Justin Lott and Jason Tietz). Oliver said one option was more aggressive and would require re-routing Washington Street traffic; the preferred, more feasible option would retain existing traffic lanes while creating paired civic greens separated from traffic by bollards or low walls and using pavers for traffic calming.
Oliver said the concept would improve pedestrian safety during festivals and downtown events and restore a civic core that he said was removed around the 1960s. He presented a draft resolution requesting the county manager, in coordination with the city manager and GDOT, to conduct feasibility and traffic studies and to ensure any removed parking is replaced "in the same construction phase." He proposed several potential replacement-parking parcels, including county-owned sites and specific blocks in downtown Clarksville.
Commissioners did not take immediate action; they asked staff to review the concept, consult city officials and county attorneys, and let commissioners examine the drawings before deciding whether to formally request feasibility studies. County staff and commissioners emphasized that any final plan would need to replace parking spaces that would be removed and that coordination with GDOT is required because Washington Street is a state route.
Oliver left a draft resolution for the commission and asked that the county and city authorize a study before grant applications or streetscape funding are pursued. Commissioners said they would review materials and coordinate with the city and attorneys before bringing any formal request back to the board.
