New growth on Veterans Parkway benefiting Clarksville, Jeffersonville

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- As the River Ridge Commerce Center continues to bring more businesses to southern Indiana, Veterans Parkway is also seeing rapid growth that's now benefiting both Jeffersonville and the town of Clarksville.

"The city of Jeff saw an opportunity to spend some money on infrastructure improvements, knowing that we are right along I-65," said Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore.

That project began about a decade ago along Town Center Boulevard and Veterans Parkway. The initial $5 million development plan has seen no shortage of growth, even in the last month.

"Drake's here, they started off with 180 employees," said Moore. "It's an incredible story. This is going to be a huge success."

Businesses like Academy Sports and Outdoors and restaurants are now taking shape. Nearly all of the businesses along the road are national or regional chains.

Mounds of dirt just off Veterans Parkway confirms more development is on the way in the form of apartments.

A study conducted in 2015 showed the area lacked enough housing. Moore said that while growth is good, he would like to pump the brakes on apartment development because of road conditions in some areas that aren't built to handle the increase in traffic.

Across U.S. 31, the town of Clarksville is also seeing recent development, with the announcement of a possible Wawa gas station and its own large apartment complex in the works.

"You can't travel down Veterans Parkway without seeing businesses full, parking lots, restaurants full and you can see that expansion coming over on the Jeffersonville side and a lot of that traffic is also coming over here to Clarksville, so it's a great thing for the community," said Ken Conklin, communications director for the town of Clarksville.

Although some buildings along the parkway are currently available, land is now at a premium.

"The unfortunate thing is, Clarksville is land-locked," said Conklin. "Unlike Jeffersonville, we have no where to grow."

"If we are in downtown Jeff, you can buy a 100-year-old building and fix it up for $1 million," said Moore. "If you are along Interstate 65, it's going to take more than $1 million just to buy the land."

The mayor said the corridor still needs more entertainment options.

"I think we are kind of in an area along the interstate where we can attract something that might be a fun place for people to go, spend an evening and go have something fun to do," he said. "We've got land to grow, we've got rules to follow and I want to make sure when we grow, we do it wisely."

A public meeting will be held at the Clarksville Public Library on April 20 at 6 p.m. to discuss traffic in the area and improvements moving forward.