Clarksville council approves ground lease to pursue 65-unit senior housing at Frosty Morn Drive

The Clarksville City Council on Tuesday approved Resolution 64, authorizing the city to enter a long-term ground lease with SOCAYR Incorporated to develop 65 income-based apartments for residents age 62 and older at 625 Frosty Morn Drive.

Michelle Austin, director of Neighborhood and Community Services, told the council the proposal would convert a long-vacant industrial site into primarily one-bedroom units with some two-bedroom apartments and supportive services coordinated with the Mid-Cumberland Human Resources Agency. She said the development would be income-based and qualify households according to area median income; rents would be set relative to applicants’ incomes (Ms. Austin said estimates use a 30%-of-income metric). The lease structure keeps the city as the landowner while the developer finances, constructs and manages the buildings under a 75-year ground lease; ownership of improvements would revert to the city or be available at appraised value at the lease’s end.

Austin emphasized the project is contingent on the developer receiving Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and that the planned-unit-development (PUD) rezoning and further environmental reviews are separate approvals the council will consider in coming weeks. “This proposal represents an opportunity to redevelop a long-vacant industrial site, expand housing options for seniors living on fixed incomes, and leverage outside investment to meet the growing community need,” she said.

Council members split over timing and environmental certainty. Councilman Lovato and Councilman Chandler expressed concerns about potential contamination and asked to review the most recent environmental studies and to consider protections at rezoning. “Has there been any studies done on any type of contamination?” Chandler asked, noting past industrial runoff and possible asbestos in older buildings. Austin and other council members responded that LIHTC financing normally triggers environmental testing and that THDA and state review would require site assessments before the project could proceed.

Councilman Smith pressed the council on long-standing health and pollution concerns near the Frosty Morn site and urged additional community meetings with seniors before moving ahead. “We’re putting senior citizens in a place that is detrimental to their health,” Smith said, describing personal family health harms he attributed to nearby industrial activity. Smith moved to postpone the item until June 4 so the city could meet with seniors; the motion failed for lack of a second.

Supporters said the project would respond to a documented housing shortfall. Austin cited the city’s 2024 housing needs assessment projecting a gap of more than 15,000 units by 2029 and said about 35% of that future need is among older adults. Council members including Streetman, Claunch and Marquis praised the proposed amenities—green space, walking trails and garden areas—and said the site is one readily available to bring affordable, income-based senior housing online more quickly.

The council voted to adopt Resolution 64 by a tally of 10 yes, 2 no and 0 abstentions. The approval authorizes the mayor and staff to enter a ground-lease relationship with SOCAYR Incorporated; several speakers stressed the agreement is contingent on the LIHTC award and the PUD rezoning that the regional planning commission will consider later this month. The clerk recorded the roll call; Councilman Holliman was absent.

During the public-comment period, Deanna McLaughlin, a Clarksville resident who identified herself as a senior, said she welcomed the opportunity to live independently on a fixed income and thanked Ms. Austin for advancing the project. Other speakers, including Billy Lang, who works in senior services, expressed conditional support but reiterated concerns about locating seniors near industrial sites and urged siting where seniors have easier access to retail and medical services.

Next steps: the LIHTC application outcomes and the RPC’s PUD recommendation will determine whether the project advances; the ground lease and all development activity remain contingent on receiving required financing approvals and completing environmental reviews.