Heartland Ambulance approved to operate in Gateway Crossing; RDC parking agreement allows up to 15 spaces

The Clarksville board approved a use variance allowing Heartland Ambulance to operate from a live-work unit in the Gateway Crossing PUD, and staff said the redevelopment commission has approved a parking agreement—pending execution—that would allow Heartland to use up to 15 spaces on an RDC-owned lot at Owens Way and Eastern Boulevard.

Planning staff explained that EMS uses are not explicitly listed among permitted institutional uses in the PUD, so a variance is required even though ambulance services are allowed in adjacent zoning districts. Staff said the operation had already been parking ambulances in the RDC lot and that the redevelopment commission had tentatively approved a parking agreement; signatures were still pending. A property representative said the variance was filed to keep the record and that the parties were working on formalizing the parking/staging arrangements. Board members and neighbors praised the local coverage and one member said the response time during a recent incident "was amazing." The board approved the variance with the condition that the variance ties to the current applicant/operation rather than automatically transferring to a different operator.

Town staff said the variance should not materially harm surrounding property values and that EMS in this location should improve response times for nearby, older neighborhoods. The redevelopment commission's parking allowance (up to 15 spaces) and the pending execution of that parking agreement were recorded as part of the board's consideration.