CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — As the business day drew to a close Saturday, and quiet came over the new Clarksville Main Street corridor, an enduring staple shined bright in the skyline over a town in change.
The most recent change came Tuesday, when the town council unanimously approved a plan to create a new Riverfront Development Project area.
If given state approval, the town can issue local liquor licenses outside the current processes, handled by the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.
"It expedites the process and gives [town officials] some more creativity," Councilman Mike Mustaine, R-District 4, said. "The issuance of the liquor license [will] help attract businesses to the area."
The license area must be within 1,500 feet or three blocks from the Ohio River.
“By securing the right to issue these licenses through a streamlined process, the town will be able to bolster local businesses and attract a diverse range of establishments,” Ken Conklin, Clarksville’s Communications Director, said.
Clarksville has sent a request to the state of Indiana for 20 liquor licenses, or one license per block. It's currently waiting for approval.
The program would mirror Riverfront Development Project Areas currently underway in Jeffersonville and New Albany, Mustaine said.
"We're creating what I envision to be a masterpiece, by the time we get done," he said. "[This] is a development of an entire street grid and entire downtown, basically, starting from a roughly a clean slate."
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The latest push to ramp up progress is part of a longstanding effort Clarksville officials have mounted to build a vibrant downtown from scratch, shaped around its new Main Street corridor.
Formerly Woerner Avenue, the new downtown centerpiece is home to new luxury apartments and new businesses.
"I'm starting to get a lot more foot traffic, a lot more people driving by, seeing what's going on," Greg Mossier, owner of Deep Search Tattoo, said. "There's a lot more people seeming to be curious, coming around."
Mossier bought in to Clarksville's vision two years ago, moving his tattoo shop from Jeffersonville to an, at the time, undeveloped downtown.
"We've always thought 'Man, it's a lot cooler over here,'" he said. "We've got a lot of cool stuff to offer."
His excitement is shared by Amy Setliff, a pickleball and event coordinator for Goodbounce Pickleball Yard, which opened a Clarksville location two weeks ago.
" I feel like we're in at the cusp of Clarksville just blowing up," Setliff said.
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