New apartment complex proposed for vacant lot in Clarksville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new apartment complex may be coming to a vacant lot in Clarksville.

The proposed mixed-use development is planned for the former site of America's Best Motel near Kopp Lane and Eastern Boulevard in Clarksville. The Clarksville Redevelopment Commission bought the property and demolished the motel for around $5 million in 2019.

"The amount of calls and the amount of crime in that area had really risen out of control," said Ken Conklin, communications director for the Town of Clarksville.

Despite police calls declining by more than 30% since the motel was demolished, developers and proposals have fallen through.

"We've looked at a sports complex, different kinds of entertainment venues, hotels, senior living, restaurants, and no developers were really interested in the property or had a realistic plan for developing it,"

The new proposal comes from developer Form G. The project would include retail businesses, an apartment complex with 200 market-rate units, as well as two-story townhomes and garages.

Form G also owns several properties surrounding the town, which allows more room for the planned development.

"You're going from a hotel with folks coming and staying and leaving every couple of days and now you've got people living in this community, and they're going to take pride in that," said Conklin.

The sale of the property would bring $1 million to the town. Taxes would bring $4 million in the first decade and an additional $3 million in the 15 years beyond.

Form G said in a statement that its goal was to increase the well-being of Clarksville. The statement in full said the following:

Form G is looking forward to our open house meeting on Feb. 2nd to elaborate on our recent and current developments. As locals, we embrace the 50 year vision and interest in the growth of our hometown. Along with the efforts of the Town officials and other professional developers, we hope to increase the overall well-being of our Town through new, quality housing developments to meet current and future demands. These investments, at no risk to the tax payer, will ultimately increase the median household income and our overall demographic. Subsequently, we will continue to attract and retain national brand retail tenants while building credit for local business owners to occupy the current abundance of vacant retail space. A strong town approach to quality housing is to focus on existing neighborhood market opportunities, such as The Gateway to our town: the places we live must be able to change, evolve, and, yes, grow if they are going to be successful and where people want to be. The antidote to the disruptive effects of big change is quality change. Let’s unlock The Gateway together.

District 2 Councilman John Gilkey, who lives near eastern Boulevard, said the development is justified.

"It was not uncommon for us to have to chase people out of the back yard and away from our shed," Gilkey told WDRB. "We don't have to do that anymore, and the proposed development would bring in the kind of people you need in a community to build."

Before moving ahead, the development must be fully approved by the Redevelopment Commission. Town leaders are optimistic.

"We're taking what was an underutilized piece of land that is kind of the gateway into Clarksville, and really developing it into what could be a beautiful complex,"

A public meeting is scheduled to be held on Feb. 2.