Council reviews multiple rezoning cases; floodplain, traffic and unauthorized grading surface in debate

The Clarksville City Council on Thursday heard the Regional Planning Commission’s annual report and detailed presentations of multiple rezoning applications, including requests that would allow new commercial and multifamily development along Tylertown Road, Tiny Town Road, Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and other corridors. Planning staff recommended disapproval for several requests, while the Planning Commission and councilmembers pressed applicants on flooding, traffic capacity and unauthorized site work.

The Planning Commission report recapped the office’s recent work and milestones, including a housing-needs assessment, a pending city–county zoning rewrite and progress on a land bank, land trust and a community development corporation. "We completed a housing needs assessment back in November," the Planning Commission presenter said, noting the annual report will “go live tomorrow” on the office website.

The meeting then moved through individual cases. Planning staff recommended disapproval of Planning Commission Case Z32025, the 25.31-acre application of Bill Mace to rezone property fronting Tylertown Road from C4 (Highway Interchange) to C2 (General Commercial). Mr. Tindle, presenting the case, said staff found the request "not consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan" and warned that allowing C2 in the middle of larger C4 parcels could "break up two larger blocks of C4" and harm future regional commercial development. Historic build-out estimates presented at the meeting ranged from roughly 303 units if developed entirely as multifamily to councilmembers’ quick math suggesting the parcel could yield more than 400 units under some assumptions.

Council members asked how traffic and intersection capacity would be affected if hundreds of residential units were built. "If over 400 units go on that property, would that initiate another intersection there?" asked Councilman Lobato (City Council member). Street Department staff said a planned widening of Tylertown Road will add capacity and dedicated left-turn lanes, but that detailed traffic requirements will be set at site-plan review.

In Planning Commission Case Z7-2025 (Rita Home Builders), a one-acre request to extend R4 (multifamily) into an R2 neighborhood on West Concord Drive, staff recommended approval but several councilmembers urged caution because of February flooding in the area. Councilman McLaughlin (City Council member) told the council that recent heavy rains and flooding displaced 66 families at nearby apartment complexes and showed photos of water inside living spaces. He asked the council to "pump the brakes" on additional multifamily approvals until drainage and flood risk are better understood. Mr. Tindle said the February event exceeded mapped 100-year flood levels and was between a 100- and 200-year event; he also noted that the rear of the subject lots falls in the FEMA floodplain and that engineering data will be required before development.

Planning Commission Case Z9-2025 (applicants Hunter Winn and Jake Welsh) involves a request to change three R1 lots to R2A on Sladen Circle to create additional lots. Staff recommended disapproval and reported that the applicant had already started earthwork without required permits; "a stop work order has been issued," Mr. Tindle told the council. The Street Department confirmed grading and stormwater alterations were undertaken without an approved grading permit and that the developer must address the violation regardless of rezoning outcome.

A separate application from Hunter Winn (Case Z10-2025) asked to rezone 2.9 acres from R1A to C2 near Tiny Town Road and Pembroke Road. Staff recommended disapproval, citing a sinkhole that affects a significant portion of the parcel and the need for an injection well and drainage upgrades; the Planning Commission committee recommended approval. Supporters at the podium argued that a controlled, signalized access at the intersection could be safer than multiple private commercial driveways. "That's a lot safer to have a commercial property exiting there to a light than having ... people turning left and right in front of oncoming traffic," Councilman Streitman (City Council member) said.

Not all applications drew the same concerns. Planning Commission Case Z16-2025, the 7.5-acre application by F and M Bank to rezone an M3 legacy industrial parcel along Wilma Rudolph Boulevard to C5 (Highway and Arterial Commercial) for a proposed used-vehicle dealership and vintage-motorcycle museum drew staff and Planning Commission recommendations in favor of approval; staff noted no housing would be lost and no negative traffic impacts were identified in the accepted traffic study.

Finally, Case Z17-2025 (Diane Clevenger Pinkstaff) proposed rezoning 1.08 acres from R1 to R3 on Fantasy Lane; staff and the Planning Commission recommended disapproval, with council members describing the request as an abrupt step in density ‘‘zoning creep’’ that would allow duplexes and triplexes inconsistent with the subdivision’s pattern.

Across the cases, city staff repeatedly advised that site-plan, drainage, sewer and traffic requirements will be handled during later review stages if rezonings advance. Several members of the council and nearby residents also highlighted crash history, pedestrian safety and neighborhood character as factors to weigh before approving changes.

No final votes on the presented rezoning items were taken at the meeting; the items remain on the council’s calendar for public hearings and formal action at a subsequent session.

For background, speakers identified themselves in the meeting as Planning Commission staff, multiple City Council members and applicants for the rezoning requests; department representatives from the Street Department and Gas & Water provided technical comments during each case. Planning staff said the annual planning report will be posted publicly on the Planning Commission website.