CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – When Xavier Armstrong purchased a home in Clarksville two years ago, he says he did so not knowing that part of his backyard was slated to become a major roadway.

“If things were done differently … I probably would’ve looked at a different property,” Armstrong told Clarksville Now.

The City Council recently voted to authorize the use of eminent domain to acquire property needed for the construction of the new Spring Creek Parkway, one of several Tier 1 projects included in the Transportation 2020+ Plan.

Initial work began in 2015 on what was originally called the Northeast Connector, and it has been planned for several years. It will run from Ted Crozier Boulevard through Wilma Rudolph Boulevard near Exit 4 to the intersection of Trenton and Kennedy Road. This new corridor is expected to drastically reduce traffic on Wilma Rudolph by providing an additional path to Exit 4.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $49.5 million.

According to Councilmember Stacey Streetman, the eminent domain vote will affect 15 properties, nine of which involve only easement acquisition.

‘It shouldn’t have come to this’

Council members voted 10-2 in favor of the eminent domain measure. Voting no were Ambar Marquis and Trisha Butler. DaJuan Little was absent.

Despite their vote, multiple council members expressed reservations, with Brian Zacharias saying that he felt his hands were tied by former city councils that began the project.

“This is probably one of the most difficult issues I’ve had to consider during my relatively short time here,” Zacharias said at the meeting. “On one hand, I firmly believe we need to do something about the traffic situation. I understand we have limited options in this area because we don’t own the roads, and this project is going to bring some much-need relief to these areas.

“On the other hand, this project is a Band-Aid on a self-inflicted wound. … At some point, a previous City Council voted to authorize the use of eminent domain to complete this project. I wish they hadn’t, but they did. … To reverse course now would put us further behind in a race we’re already losing. To the families that oppose and stand to lose land as a result of this action, I offer my sincere apology. It shouldn’t have come to this.”

Councilmember Karen Reynolds said she would vote yes “with a heavy heart” and that the situation speaks to the need for more extensive planning when deciding to add new neighborhoods near planned projects.

Residents cry foul: ‘I was in the dark about it’

The majority of affected residences are on Eagle’s View Drive in the Eagle’s Bluff subdivision, on the Trenton Road end of the parkway. Clarksville Now spoke with several of these residents, all of whom shared one sentiment: If Spring Creek Parkway has been in the works for so long, why didn’t they know about it when purchasing their homes?

“I would never have purchased a home in this location had I known there was going to be a road,” said Amie Hurt, an Eagle’s Bluff resident. “With me being here with my kid, I would not have purchased a home by the road. I was in the dark about it. I had no idea.”

In response to residents’ safety concerns, Chris Cowan, engineering manager with the Street Department, told Clarksville Now that plans for the parkway include a pedestrian walkway as well as foliage to create a buffer between residences and drivers.

Nola Lockridge said the quiet atmosphere was what drew her to the neighborhood.

“We can sit out here and it’s just quiet. I sit out here at 6 o’clock in the morning, I drink some coffee. When they build this highway, it’s going to be all this noise and all this going on,” Lockridge said. “When they get this road in here, it’s going to be a whole different thing.”

Connector plans on property plats

The residents said they bought their houses from Hawkins Homes of Clarksville about two years ago.

Plat maps for Eagle’s Bluff were provided to Clarksville Now, and they indicate plans for the Northeast Connector/Spring Creek Parkway. The plat maps were filed with the Regional Planning Commission as early as 2019.

One of the plat maps for the Eagles Bluff site has an area labeled “Future ‘East-West Corridor’ / City of Clarksville Property.” Another has an area labeled “AREA RESERVED FOR NORTHEAST CONNECTOR.” Another has an area labeled “FUTURE DEVELOPMENT / Proposed ‘East-West Corridor.'”

Maps of the Northeast Connector were also published several Leaf-Chronicle news articles as early as 2017.

What’s next

A second vote by the City Council will be required in order to authorize the use of eminent domain to acquire land for the Spring Creek Parkway. That vote is expected to take place at the council’s next regular session on June 3 at 6 p.m.

If funding goes forward, construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023 and finish in the fall of 2024, according to the Transportation Plan.