Clarksville council approves riverfront development project area

Andrew Harp, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·1 min read

Dec. 20—CLARKSVILLE — The Town of Clarksville approved the establishment of a riverfront development project area.

This ordinance, which was discussed during the council's regular meeting on Tuesday, lines up with the Riverside Drive construction project that's planned to start at the beginning of 2024, and is expected to end next November.

Town Manager Kevin Baity said the town's redevelopment commission established the Clarksville commercial development area a few years ago, meaning they can now create the riverfront development area.

This allows the town to issue local liquor licenses outside the normal processes of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. The license areas must be within three blocks of the Ohio River, covering south Clarksville.

The town council unanimously approved this ordinance. Now that it is approved, an application requesting a total of 20 licenses, an average of one per block, will be sent to the state for approval.

"The program guidelines are based on state code and if approved, will mirror riverfront development project areas already existing in Jeffersonville and New Albany," Baity said.

The council also unanimously approved an ordinance amending the Clarksville zoning code in respect to parking lots. This would remove the minimum parking lot requirements for commercial properties, potentially allowing more utilization for growth and businesses in unused parking lot areas.