III. - Madison Street Corridor Vision

Madison Street Corridor Vision

In 2007, the Leadership Clarksville Study Group convened to study the future of the immediate area surrounding the imminent relocation of Gateway Hospital. In the Hilldale Revitalization Report, the Study Group recommended that the hospital site be redeveloped as a mixed-use, retail and high-density residential center that would serve as a catalyst for revitalization and renewal. Further, they recommended that redevelopment be expanded to include the entire Madison Street corridor, from Highway 76 to just outside of downtown Clarksville. The vision calls for development to be connected and populated by uses that are oriented toward Madison Street and around transit and pedestrians.

Goals of the Corridor Plan

To achieve the vision for the Madison Street corridor, the goals of the Corridor Plan are to:

• Support the redevelopment of the Gateway Hospital site as a focal point for revitalization of the Madison Street corridor.

• Support the development of distinct, walkable centers on Madison Street through a combination of mixed-use, retail and higher density residential land use in close proximity to each other.

Land Use Plan

The Land Use Plan (Figure 3-1. "Land Use Plan", page 16) describes the community's vision for the future of the Madison Street Corridor, answering two fundamental questions in the process: how much commercial, residential and open space should there be along the corridor? And, where should those uses be located? Unlike a zoning map which assigns zoning districts to all properties and establishes development regulations, such as the size and placement of buildings, a land use plan depicts where a community wants to be 10-20 years from today. It is one tool government officials use to determine if a rezoning request is consistent with the community's vision.

The Madison Street Corridor land use plan builds on the overall goals established by the City and the Steering Committee as well as the existing conditions analysis. Emphasizing the variety of development character and opportunities along the corridor, the plan calls for repositioning the four primary commercial centers and reinforcing traditional residential and natural transition zones. Each center, for example, should possess uses, density, and scale that result in dynamic places where people want to spend time.

The land use plan relies on five land use categories to illustrate the future structure of the corridor. The categories are:

• Mixed Use: Allowing residential and commercial uses, mixed-use development helps to create more interesting, active and pedestrian oriented places. Buildings typically have shopping at street level with either office or residential above.

• Mixed Housing: Providing the range of housing necessary to support vibrant and viable commercial centers, mixed housing includes single family and multifamily uses. Multifamily developments, such as garden apartments and condominiums occur in or near the center. Townhouses and other attached housing, such as patio homes, serve as a transition from a center to surrounding single family residences.

• Single Family Detached Housing: Detached single family houses are typical single family homes—single houses on a single lot.

• Civic and Community Uses: Including schools, libraries, post offices and other public and private community centers, such as churches, civic and community uses can either help define a center or serve as a landmark in a transition zone.

• Parks and Open Spaces: Similar in role to civic and community uses, parks and open spaces can either complement a center or define a transition zone. They include active and passive recreation spaces, and important natural areas such as steep slopes, floodplains and streams.

Again, the plan stresses the importance of reestablishing the four primary commercial centers as unique assets to the corridor and the city, while protecting the integrity of existing residential neighborhoods. To achieve these objectives, the land use plan follows a threefold strategy:

1.

Encourage pedestrian friendly, mixed-use development by introducing and concentrating mixed use land policy in existing commercial centers. Limiting the application of the mixed-use policy will focus redevelopment in existing commercial areas and prevent strip commercial from dominating the corridor.

2.

Add a greater mix of housing near each center to support mixed-use redevelopment and serve as a buffer between more intense commercial uses and single family residential neighborhoods. The centers will only thrive to the extent that the number of households increases to support them.

3.

Maintain the transition zones as residential, community, and open space use areas to preserve those assets while reinforcing the edges of the centers.

This threefold strategy is applied consistently across the four mile length of the corridor, with special emphasis on the following four centers.

Walnut Hill/Liberty Parkway Center: This center, at the intersection of Madison Street and Liberty Parkway, currently provides everyday neighborhood services, such as a grocery store and pharmacy. The land use plan calls for maintaining the scale of the center while introducing a new mix of uses, especially higher density residential development.

Hilldale/Memorial Drive Center: By virtue of its location, scale and physical prominence, this center serves as the community center of the corridor and should continue to serve that role in the future. The land use plan calls for much greater development intensity in this area, including all properties within a ¼ mile radius (or 5 minute walk) of the hospital site.

Beachaven/Barksdale Center: Also a neighborhood center, the Beachaven/Barksdale area has enormous potential as a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use center. With schools, parks and plenty of commercially zoned property, the center can help redefine Madison Street if future improvements embrace the community's vision.

Richview Road Center: Although a small neighborhood center, Richview Road can have a broad impact on the corridor. At a minimum, it should clearly mark the east gateway to the corridor, support walking and bicycling to Clarksville High School, and offer local conveniences to nearby residences and the high school.