CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The need for affordable housing was at the center of a recent City Council debate over the Vulcan Mixed Use and Entertainment District.
The development was brought forward by Charles Hand and his family, who are looking to rezone around 30 acres of land from General Industrial District (M-2) to a Mixed Use Planned Unit Development (MXU-PUD).
On Thursday, the director of the Regional Planning Commission, Jeffery Tyndall, brought the stadium development rezoning to the City Council and introduced some new information.
The stadium itself will be a 2,500-fixed-seat facility with a maximum capacity of 4,000 people. In addition, there will be 127 parking spaces for spectators. The development as a whole also includes:
- A 100-room hotel with 105 parking spaces.
- A brewery/restaurant with 56 parking spaces.
- 65,000 square feet of retail with 261 parking spaces.
- Open-space sidewalks and plazas.
- A bus pull-off.
- 330 apartment units.
Tyndall said the density of the project as a whole is 11 units per acre, while the density of the apartment complex is 22 units per acre.
To build up the infrastructure for this development, the following would have to be implemented: pedestrian and vehicle improvements to College Street, a traffic signal at Hornberger Lane, and improvements to the Frosty Morn entrance. Additional improvements may be required based on additional analysis, according to Tyndall.
Affordable housing concerns
Council member Karen Reynolds said she was surprised that in the presentation there was no mention of affordable housing, and she asked why.
Councilperson Stacey Streetman stepped in and called for a point of order to stay on the topic of the zoning case. Streetman said the RPC is not involved with affordable housing or the TIF agreement.
TIF stands for “tax increment financing,” which is a financial tool local governments can use to help encourage economic development through tax incentives, according to the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. A TIF agreement was extended to the developers.
Mayor Joe Pitts granted Streetman’s motion and reminded all parties to focus on the zoning request.
Before moving on, though, Tyndall responded, “We did not review this for its affordability, or the amount of affordable housing. It’s not part of the zoning code, and it wasn’t submitted as part of the PUD packet submitted to us.”
Reynolds responded, “I just want to say that I’m going to read a statement at the end of the meeting, but the TIF was a part of this, and it was part of the agreement. … We do not have a clear answer, so how can we approve a zoning (request) if that is clearly not what’s going to happen?”
Zoning debate or TIF debate?
Councilperson Wanda Allen reminded all parties that this is an informal session, and she should be able to ask all of her questions. Allen then said, “If I get a point of order, I’m going to give a point of order right back.”
Allen tried to ask a question regarding affordable housing and its relation to the TIF, but before she could finish asking her question, Streetman interjected with another point of order. She reminded the council the TIF isn’t on the agenda, however, Allen said that affordable housing is part of the development.
As the room fell silent, Pitts asked for Tyndall to answer the councilperson’s question.
Tyndall said, “Affordable housing from the Planning Commissions review of this is not taken into account. We also did not have a say in the TIF creation, or the development and discussion of the TIF district.”
Allen asked if affordable housing has been discussed at all.
Tyndall said that based off the site plan, he doesn’t know whether the proposed apartments will be luxury apartments or affordable housing units.
As the meeting progressed, council members still had unanswered questions, so they decided to vote on whether they could ask TIF-related questions or not.
When the votes came in, the council enabled their peers to speak on the TIF agreement, with Pitts, Wallace Redd, Travis Holleman, Streetman and Keri Lovato voting no.
10% affordable housing requirement
Reynolds gave her statement, saying she and Montgomery County Commissioner Rashidah Leverett had worked together to include affordable housing for projects financed by taxpayers, such as a TIF. One of those projects was 518 Madison St., where Leverett led the way with a requirement that 5% of units built using TIF dollars include affordable housing.
“Based off her initial proposal and the size of the Vulcan property, I originally proposed 15% of units at 80% income level set by HUD, which means they would have to rent them for approximately $1,315 this year for a family of three,” Reynolds said. “We worked with the EDC (Economic Development Council) to compromise to 10%.
At least twice when the TIF districts were being discussed, Montgomery County and EDC officials cited 10% affordable housing agreement as a key advantage of the TIF district plans.
Reynolds said she and Leverett met with the staff of the EDC and were very clear they would vote for the TIF if it included affordable housing. However, Reynolds said that due to language in the amendment that was created by the EDC for the TIF, the developers were able to remove affordable housing from their plans.
Clarksville Now has reached out to the EDC for more information.
Reynolds met with the site builders about a month ago, and they told her they did not know if any of the apartments were supposed to be for affordable housing.
“I feel extremely betrayed and misled by people who I thought shared the same vision and respect for our residents,” Reynolds said. “Not only did the paragraph allow EDC to not allow affordable housing, but they also chose to apply it regardless of the intent of the city and county elected officials. …
“There were many opportunities for them to be transparent and have that conversation, but they did not. It was not until the RPC meeting and then a follow-up meeting between Commissioner Leverett and the builders, that we learned there would be no affordable housing in this community.”
Loophole in TIF provisions?
At the end of the meeting, Leverett was given a chance to speak on her frustrations;
“One reason why we use TIF, especially in this area, is because we do have a lot of underdeveloped parcels. So, we want to redevelop this area, and I’m so excited about redevelopment; I’m excited about projects coming to Ward 6,” Leverett said.
“However, we also have a responsibility to include what we would like to see in our communities in those TIF’s. Which is why Councilperson Reynolds and I worked together to make sure that included in the TIF was a section about affordable housing. Now, I know as legislatures we cannot legislate morality; we cannot legislate trust; we cannot legislate betrayal.
“I’m not one that always wants to be in my feelings, but after many meetings with the EDC and the IDB (Industrial Development Board), I think that’s exactly what happened. There was a loophole put into the previsions where the developer doesn’t have to build affordable housing.”
Leverett asked each council member to act as a public servant and not a politician next week with the hope of asking the EDC and IDB to revise the language in the TIF agreement.
The City Council will vote on the zoning matter at the next meeting on Thursday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. on Public Square.
