Downtown Clarksville's resurgence powered by new, younger residents
- Developers targeting millenials to grow foot traffic
- Civic plaza, APSU could be sparks to reignite downtown interest
- Demand for trendy, urban living a positive sign
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — If downtown Clarksville has hit rock bottom after its post-1999 tornado economic decline, the general consensus of the community is that a must-have for a sustained resurgence is having more people living downtown. And if you really look around, there are, in fact, scattered components of a surging downtown housing market.
This trend could be partly fueled by a generation of millennials that prefers smaller living spaces and less space to take care of — the "less-is-more" mentality that is well-suited to urban living.
But proponents also hope that downtown is at least slowly benefiting from a period of rediscovery that spans the entire demographic of the city.
Whatever the case, it all begins with a strong housing market in the city's core — that central and historic area of Clarksville that many contend sets Clarksville apart from other cities.
"If you can get that residential component moving into the downtown area, the retail component will follow," said Charlie Foust, president of the downtown and riverfront revitalization nonprofit, Two Rivers Co.
Making the case
"A lot of this residential growth in downtown will be driven in the months and years ahead by growth at Austin Peay, and not just from the rising student population on that campus, but also the graduate students, and, in fact, the faculty," Foust said. APSU is planning to expand onto the 11 acres on College Street left behind by the Jenkins & Wynne automobile dealership after it moved over to Trenton Road in St. Bethlehem.
In short, residential development is crucial to downtown revitalization, say Foust and others close to the topic.
"It is the single-most important catalyst that can stimulate business development.
"Restaurants and retail will only be encouraged to open downtown when more people live and work there. There is no magic formula to guarantee the survival and prosperity of downtown, but residential development is about as close to that as you’re going to get," Foust said.
"It is (TRC's) hope that the creation of a grand civic space in the heart of downtown will be the spark that will encourage residential and mixed-use development in our urban core.
"Make no mistake," Foust said, "APSU is downtown. TRC is actively working on plans that will enhance that connectivity. Graduate students and faculty are not candidates for dormitory residency, but they are clearly candidates for downtown residency, which is within easy walking distance of the university."
Montgomery County government is also attempting to lead the way with a downtown revival, as the aforementioned civic square public gathering place is in the works on the former Bank of America property bordered by Second, Third, Legion and Main streets.
Meanwhile, the county, through the Industrial Development Board, is drafting a document for tax increment financing (TIF) aimed at stimulating downtown's rebirth. County officials remain hopeful that the city of Clarksville will become a joint partner in their TIF, while the city pores over the particulars of a potential conference and performing arts center for downtown — perhaps a great idea, but still a long way off, and expensive as well.
Private efforts
The determination of the private sector to bring downtown back is as important — if not more important — as what local government is trying to do. That's undisputed, and builders, developers and investors such as Eric Huneycutt, Jeff Robinson and Joe and Jennifer Willoughby, are "walking the walk" where downtown residential is concerned.
A third-generation real estate professional, Huneycutt says he is unashamedly enthusiastic about downtown Clarksville. His passion for downtown appears to be shared by millennial professionals who want convenience and easy access to work, services and amenities like local restaurants, entertainment and recreation, according to an article by Michelle Dickerson, who has chaired TRC's marketing efforts.
Huneycutt is among builders who have invested in residential projects within the downtown district in the last 24 months. With 17 units now complete, 15 in the Dog Hill Historic District and two on Academy Avenue, he has said he is committed to building even more once these sell.
One of his latest creations is at 113 W. Washington St. "I really don’t understand why more people don’t live downtown — it’s two minutes from everything I need."
Huneycutt is joined in marketing new townhouses and duplexes on West Washington Street and Academy Avenue by other real estate agents in the Huneycutt fold, including Nancy Cole, Kathy DePriest and Crissy Sumner. These homes are built to fit in with downtown’s distinctive architectural styles of the past.
The luxury of being able to comfortably walk to the developing riverfront from a downtown dwelling is one of Huneycutt's selling points.
And, there is the convenience factor of simplistic living. The homeowner association that exists within these communities coordinates all lawn maintenance and trash pickup.
“We’re trying to make people realize that there is more to downtown than older homes. Younger people can now find some wonderful and affordable options,” Huneycutt said.
His new duplex on Academy Avenue is built with collegiate professionals, scholars and city dwellers in mind.
Huneycutt thinks downtown can support more residential growth. “Downtown is really a specialized market for people that want to walk to the Blackhorse for dinner or connect to the riverwalk greenway. It really is a much simpler lifestyle with a strong sense of community — what person wouldn’t want that?”
Listing agent Nancy Cole says “about half” of her inquiries are from Special Forces groups at Fort Campbell and the other half are young professionals. “We’ve also seen the influence of Austin Peay, both students and professionals, and even had some interest from Nashville.” Like Huneycutt, Cole believes there’s a strong market for downtown living, especially among young professionals who work downtown and want convenience without a lot of upkeep.
Huneycutt’s zero-lot homes are all brick with full basements and offer around 1,300 square feet of living space. Homes in his Dog Hill development are priced around $150,000.
Surveys prove it
TRC, tasked with attracting investment to the downtown and riverfront areas, also sees a strong demand for more residential housing. Results from a 2015 housing survey by consultant Randall Gross with Development Economics show that about 30 percent of survey participants expressed an interest in living downtown.
Most cited a desire to be closer to work and to city life and amenities. With more “new, safe, active and pleasant places such as parks or public open spaces", 65 percent indicated that they could be attracted to living downtown.
TRC executive director Brenda Kelley says residential development is a key component of the TRC’s work. “There is definitely a demand for both new and renovated housing in the downtown and riverfront areas, so housing is one of our immediate priorities. Our planning committee is working to identify one or two developers for more large-scale projects. That, coupled with the continued investment of local developers for smaller projects, will provide a good spectrum of housing opportunities within the next 12-24 months,” Kelley said.
“Businesses in an urban setting look at foot traffic, first and foremost,” Kelley said. “Once we increase the number of downtown residents, we’ll begin to attract attention for more commercial business and have more success in our proactive recruitment efforts.”
The resurgence of downtown starts with property owners being willing to invest in appealing dwellings and rethink development trends, says downtown developer and Blackhorse Pub & Brewery owner Jeff Robinson, one of downtown’s most outspoken advocates.
Infill development is a big part of the formula. Robinson said while there are a lot of scattered and good things happening downtown from the Dog Hill area over to Highpointe Row, there are also a lot of vacant lots, that could become key to an overall revitalization strategy.
Robinson has sold 72 downtown residential units, and he and Billy Hadley together have the newer Second Street Lofts, which accounts for 28 of those 72 units. Robinson has developed three cottage-style homes designed for narrow lots.
Nearby in the Dog Hill area, he has The Overlook, a collection of newer townhomes that offers easy access to the Upland Trail for residents.
On North First Street he has a triplex that is already attracting an Austin Peay State University coach and two soccer players.
“If you just hop in a car and drive around downtown, you find that there are a lot of vacant lots that offer a lot of development opportunity. I am convinced that if the city and county can come together on some incentives it would help generate more construction on vacant downtown lots where we already have the utilities and the infrastructure in place.
“For a builder and developer, without having those incentives, it’s hard to make it work, mathematically-speaking.
“I also know that the civic plaza project that the county is doing will generate more interest in downtown. Austin Peay is making changes and anticipating its biggest freshman class ever this fall and they are getting ready to expand onto the old Jenkins & Wynne property. All of these elements working together are going to make a big difference for downtown, and getting more residential in here is the key," Robinson said.
Phoenix rises
Another recent residential development includes new construction at Madison Street and University Avenue by Jennifer Willoughby. This 14-unit project, completed in March, is already mostly leased out.
Willoughby is proud of her latest creation, called The Phoenix.
"I have four units left out of 14. We've been open since March. So it has filled up pretty fast," Willoughby said.
The Phoenix features a green roof, one of the first of its kind in downtown Clarksville, with plantings that reduce rainwater runoff and extend the life of the roof membrane many times over.
"A lot of cities offer incentives for features such as green roofs, because it helps with sewer and is very eco-friendly. Clarksville doesn’t," Willoughby said.
The Phoenix also has eco-friendly features such as reclaimed bricks and energy-efficient heating and cooling.
Each unit has about 500 square feet. “This really caters to millennials," she said.
She is on board with some of the latest public-sector efforts, like civic square.
"I’m feeling great about it. Something big like this has to happen. I’m eager to see the momentum and development around the civic square. And, Austin Peay has all that land from the former Jenkins & Wynne lot. All of this will take a little while to materialize, but we’re now on the right path.
"There is a demand for urban living, surrounded by entertainment. All of the people who live here are craving another place to hang out downtown," Willoughby said.
"If I had a suggestion for Clarksville, we should do a downtown residential tour in this community, and give people a sense of everything happening," she said.
Reach business editor Jimmy Settle at 931-245-0247 and on Twitter @settle_leaf.