Clarksville council rejects Manning Heights PUD; neighbors cite traffic, drainage and density concerns

The Clarksville City Council on March 6 declined to approve first reading of Ordinance 52, a planned unit development (PUD) proposed for Manning Heights at the northeast corner of Riverside Drive and Cumberland Drive, after a public hearing and debate that included residents, developers and economic-development representatives.

Bryce Powers, representing the applicant PB and J, told the council the PUD would bring “much needed affordable housing in the downtown area” and help revitalize the Riverside corridor. He said the project had been reviewed by the street department and a traffic study “clearly showed” no adverse traffic impact, and that the site sits inside an opportunity zone, which the developer described as a private tax-incentive tool requiring a 10-year hold. “We just simply ask you to make this decision based on facts,” Powers said.

The proposal drew intense opposition at the public hearing from neighbors and residents who said the proposed 72-unit development would worsen traffic, drainage and safety on narrow local streets. Charlotte Nelms, who identified herself as a Manning Heights resident, said the parcel’s steep topography and limited road width make additional traffic and construction unsafe, and warned of runoff into nearby Riverside, Edge Hill and the Cumberland River. “We are not opposed to all future development on that site … What…