July 1 – By Cheryl Duncan – Editor
cduncan@crossville-chronicle.com
While the Crossville Sports Authority continues to fund a planned indoor recreation center, the property that city officials initially purchased because the site of the complex is vacant.
But if the City Council adopts a proposal presented last month, those 24 acres could eventually become the site of a residential community where working professionals and young couples can rent affordable housing while they work toward eventually buying a home.
“Housing is by far one of the biggest issues we face in the region,” said Mark Farley, executive director of the Upper Cumberland Development District. “We’re excited about a project like this because it could be the first step in potentially other developments throughout the 14 counties of the Upper Cumberland. So it’s definitely a need.”
A Nashville developer and builder believes the city-owned site on Webb Ave. is ideal for a workforce housing community. The workforce housing will target middle-income professionals who earn between 80-120% of the area median income, said Matt Nicholson, president of The Clear Blue Co.
According to Farley, these professionals and families may not qualify for subsidized housing, but they need an affordable option.
“That’s the gap you’re missing,” he noted. “You may have a lot of homes under construction, but that family that’s building a home for the first time — they usually start out in a rental apartment and work their way up to homeownership.”
He added: “You lose the opportunity for starting families to get started through the rental process.”
Nicholson said The Clear Blue Co. owns and operates 4,200 employee housing units in the Southeast. While primarily in Nashville, Knoxville and Louisville, Ky., its developments are also scattered throughout several areas in Tennessee.
The company realizes such homes by purchasing, stabilizing and preserving existing buildings and then converting them into residential units. The company also builds buildings from the ground up.
“Everything we’re talking about today is purely conceptual,” Nicholson said at the council’s June workshop. “We’re still very, very early. When we look at any development, the first thing we do is listen and make sure that whatever we’re going to do is well integrated with the community and contributes positively to the fabric of the associated community.”
He showed council members conceptual images of a development now under construction in Nashville. The 238 units, when completed, will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in seven residential buildings, as well as a clubhouse with a business center.
“We do a very thorough analysis of the local market to ensure that the mix of units that we deliver and the amenities that we provide, again, are focused on serving the needs of the community,” Nicholson said. “In this particular [Nashville] neighborhood, there’s a lot of families. So we have a lot of two- and three-bedroom apartments in this particular development. If we were to go ahead with the development here in Crossville, we would do the same exercise to make sure we get the right mix of units.”
Builders on the Nashville project are working with the natural contours of the site to add as much greenery as possible. The company is also working with Metro Nashville to develop a network of trails.
Nicholson sees a similar concept for the Webb Ave. site, which has 6 unbuildable acres and a river running through it. He said the company will work closely with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to preserve those areas.
Nicholson showed council members an early conceptual rendering of what the Crossville development could look like. He explained that Clear Blue conducts traffic studies and works to integrate its developments into the street network and traffic flow patterns.
“We want the project to be aesthetically pleasing to passersby, whether they’re in vehicular traffic or pedestrian traffic,” he continued. “As we move into development — again, this is very conceptual — we have to think very carefully about how we lay out buildings, make sure we centralize amenities, that those amenities are easily accessible to all residents, and that we maximize green space.”
Nicholson is expected to provide more details on his proposal and next steps during the council retreat in August.
“I’m interested,” said Councilman Mike Turner.
Councillor Rob Harrison added: “I’m certainly open to listening.”
The city paid $540,000 plus fees for the Webb Ave. property in May 2021. It was rejected as a possible location for the recreation center when officials decided months later to purchase three parcels at N. Main St. and Livingston Rd. for the facility.
Earlier this year, council members discussed selling the land, but no action has been taken.
Contact Cheryl Duncan at cduncan@crossville-chronicle.com or 931-484-5145.
