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Clarksville council issues 11 liquor‑store certificates after public lottery, removes one application
Summary
City Council drew 11 winners in a public lottery for retail liquor‑store certificates of compliance, adopted a resolution confirming the list, and set aside one applicant after the clerk and staff determined that application was ineligible under city code distance and prior‑approval rules.
Clarksville City Council on first reading issued 11 certificates of compliance for retail liquor stores after a public lottery at the July council meeting, and set aside one application that staff said should not have been in the drawing.
The lottery filled 11 of the city’s available retail liquor‑store slots under a city ordinance that limits liquor stores by population and by distance from parks, schools, religious institutions and other liquor stores. City staff and the court clerk ran criminal‑background and zoning checks before the drawing and used an opaque container to select names publicly.
City attorney Barrett Bittner explained the process and told the council that one applicant—Corks and Cups at 1001 Creek Way—“should have been removed from the drawing” because a prior certificate for that same address had been issued on Nov. 7, 2024, making the application ineligible. The council set that application aside and completed the draw for the remaining 11 eligible applicants.
The 11 names announced and later adopted by the council in Resolution 73 were: Needmore Wine and Spirits, 2699 Trenton Road; Clarksville Liquor Warehouse, 2804 Wilmer Rudolph Boulevard; Clarksville Discount Liquor, 267 Stone Crossing; Tiny Town Wine and Spirits, 102 Burrell Way; Warfield Liquor (parcel O41); Clarksville Bottle Shop, 924 Providence Boulevard; Liquor Drive, 2681 Fort Campbell Boulevard; Liquor Barrel, 2030 Wilmer Rudolph Boulevard; Barrel and Bottle Liquor Store, 447 Warfield Boulevard; Planet Liquors, 2690 Madison Street; and Liquor Shop, 1487 Madison Street.
Mayor Joe Pitts called for a vote on the resolution adopting the drawn list. The council adopted Resolution 73 with a recorded vote of 11 yes, 1 no, 0 abstain. Bittner reminded the council that a certificate of compliance is not the state liquor license; applicants have 120 days to secure a lease and state approvals and the city may revoke a certificate if the applicant fails requirements.
The lottery drew scrutiny during the meeting: council members questioned whether certain addresses had been authorized by property owners and whether the court clerk had correctly removed ineligible entries before the draw. Council members requested the clerk and staff confirm zoning and ownership information in any future draws and to handle any contested addresses before the drawing. Councilman Chandler urged caution and authentication of emails or ownership claims when removing applicants from the list.
The council recessed briefly while staff confirmed the ineligibility and then returned to complete the drawing and vote. Bittner told the council that if an applicant cannot secure a lease or required approvals within the set period, “after the hundred and 20 days, you can revoke the certificate of compliance.”
The city’s ordinance governing the lottery process and the numeric cap on liquor‑store certificates is codified in city code section 2‑214; Council referenced that section during the public process. The newly adopted certificates allow winners to pursue the state retail liquor license process but do not by themselves constitute a state license.
The council did not resolve any pending disputes about specific contested addresses at the meeting; staff said they would follow up on outstanding ownership or zoning questions and return to the council if further action or corrections are necessary.
