OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Clarksville Plan Commission Meeting - September 3, 2025

Town Council & Commissions — Wednesday, September 3, 2025
BodyClarksville, Indiana
SessionTown Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, September 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

I'm alive.

0:14

Okay, great.

0:16

Hello, welcome everybody to Clarksville's Plan Commission meeting on September 3rd, 2025.

0:22

Currently at 7 p 701 p.m.

0:26

Um we'll start with the um if you will do a roll call real quick.

0:30

Yeah, all right.

0:31

Uh Commissioner Stimley.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Commissioner Sloan.

0:34

Here.

0:34

Commissioner Fisher.

0:35

Here.

0:35

President Winer.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Vice President Munich.

0:38

Here.

0:38

Uh Commissioner Smith.

0:39

Here.

0:39

And Commissioner Rayborn.

0:41

Here.

0:41

We are all here tonight.

0:42

Thank you so very much.

0:43

I would like to ask everybody to join us saying play the deletions, please.

0:54

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:58

Under God.

0:59

Indivisible with liberty and justice for our thank you very much for doing that.

1:09

We have the approval of the minutes for July 2nd, 2025, our regular session.

1:16

All those in well, I need a motion.

1:18

We'll start there.

1:21

I'll make a motion to approve the minutes as presented.

1:25

I have a motion on the floor.

1:26

I need a second.

1:27

I have a second on the floor.

1:28

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

1:30

Aye.

1:31

Opposed, like sign.

1:32

It passes.

1:34

So once that's signed, uh would you uh Carrie, will you send it back down this way once you sign it?

1:40

I appreciate you.

1:42

Okay, we currently do not have any old business, so we're gonna move right into uh new business.

1:46

And the first thing on new business this evening is docket SD 25001 is the preliminary plat of 701 Potters Lane for town home development.

1:58

And Eric Merton and Matt Toole are here.

2:02

So do you want to start us off, please, Neil?

2:05

Yeah, just as a background or overview of what's uh what we're looking at this evening.

2:10

Uh the applicant is seeking preliminary plat approval for a town home development at 701 Potters Lane.

2:15

This is the former Shrine Club property, which is annexed into the town in June of this year.

2:20

It was brought in as R3 with certain conditions as part of the annexation agreement, including facade materials and a prohibition on apartments.

2:28

Each unit will be individually platted and sellable.

2:31

The applicants met with the town's TRC in August in the in preparation for the preliminary plat meeting.

2:37

Uh, this is the first public meeting on the project other than the annexation meeting uh with the town council.

2:42

It would still require a full development plan, including a traffic impact analysis and approval of a final plat.

2:49

As it was brought in and uh brought in in the R3 zone, and due to the annexation agreement, no variances from the BZA are expected to be required from this project.

2:59

Uh the development plan will cover items such as landscaping, drainage, fire access, sidewalks, lighting, traffic, and other considerations, and will likely require another TRC.

3:09

According to the annexation agreement, the applicant must be in construction on the site no later than 12 months after the annexation went into effect, which was 30 days after the council approved it.

3:18

So construction must therefore begin by July 16th, 2026.

3:22

So the development plan and final plat must be approved prior to that date.

3:26

If this does not happen, the site will revert to the R2 zoning designation.

3:31

Uh so as an overview of what we're looking at tonight, this is the checklist for the preliminary plat.

3:37

Um all items are satisfied on our checklist.

3:40

There are a few comments that I wanted to point out.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Variance████████████████████████████████32%
Public Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Liquor Licensing███████████████15%
Transportation Safety█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Historic Preservation███3%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Clarksville Plan Commission Meeting - September 3, 2025

The Clarksville Plan Commission met on September 3, 2025, at 7:01 p.m. at the Town Municipal Building. All seven commissioners were present. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, a public hearing and vote on a preliminary plat for a 68-unit townhome development, a presentation and vote supporting a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) for South Clarksville, an update on SCMU zone developments, and a discussion on corner lot fencing regulations. The meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the July 2, 2025 regular session were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Docket SD-25-0001 – 701 Potters Lane Preliminary Plat: Five members of the public spoke, all expressing concerns about the project.
    • Patricia Linford (2714 Quail Chase Drive, Sellersburg) spoke on behalf of family property adjacent to the site. She expressed appreciation for the proposed 10-foot landscape buffer but objected to high density, citing a desire to maintain privacy and pastoral views. She requested meaningful landscaping (trees, not shrubs), questioned traffic safety on Potters Lane, noted lack of fencing along Potters Lane, and asked about visitor parking and lot sizes.
    • Jim McIntosh (714 Myers Grove Circle, Jeffersonville) raised concerns about stormwater management, noting that about 30% of the site is currently grass and that detention basin outflow could affect nearby ravines. He described severe traffic congestion on Potters Lane, counting 358 vehicles in 35 minutes on a Friday evening, and urged a traffic study. He also questioned density, noting the site is three times the size of the existing 68-home neighborhood on Potters Lane, Lombardy, Birch, and Oakleaf.
    • Don Compton (615 Kingsbury Court, Village of Waterford) expressed concern about worsening traffic and asked whether an HOA would be required (not a town requirement, but the applicant stated one is anticipated).
    • Doug Bailey (2403 Byoning Court, Village of Waterford) focused on exit patterns from the development onto Potters Lane, predicting backups at the Lombardy stop sign and calling for a traffic pattern change.
    • Mike Barron (708 Potters Lane) worried that the proposed entrance/exit (across from his driveway) would cause further mailbox damage. He asked about the location of the entrance.

Discussion Items

  • Docket SD-25-0001 – Preliminary Plat of 701 Potters Lane

    • The applicant (Eric Merton, Paul Primavera Associates; Matt Toole, Infinity Homes) presented a preliminary plat for a 68-unit townhome development on the former Shrine Club property, annexed into the town in June 2025 as R3 with conditions. Each unit would be individually platted and sold. Construction must begin by July 16, 2026, or the site reverts to R2. Staff confirmed all checklist items were met, noted limited town history on the property, and mentioned that one adjacent parcel (743 Myers Grove) may have sold recently.
    • Applicant responses to public concerns: a traffic impact analysis will be conducted; stormwater design will be reviewed by town engineers; garages provide 1-2 spaces plus driveway space for 2 vehicles; anticipated price range $230,000–$350,000; an HOA is planned; landscaping (evergreens) will be used for screening along rear; fencing along Potters Lane was discussed but left for development plan review (town may consider extending existing park fence style).
    • Vote: Motion to approve the preliminary plat (Docket SD-25-0001) was made, seconded, and passed unanimously by voice vote. The development plan is expected in December 2025 or January 2026.

  • Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) for South Clarksville

    • Planning staff presented a memo stating the proposed DORA aligns with the town's comprehensive plan and SCMU zoning. The proposed area runs south from the flood wall to Clark Street, and from Missouri Avenue to the railroad tracks. Discussion included:
      • Commissioner concerns that the southern boundary (flood wall) should extend to the Ohio River park to avoid gaps and allow events (e.g., car shows) to include the park.
      • It was noted that municipalities under 50,000 population are limited to one DORA (Indiana Code 7.1-3-31). The boundaries could be amended before final council vote.
    • Vote: Motion to support the DORA and send it to town council was made, seconded, and passed unanimously by voice vote.

  • Update on SCMU Development (Discussion, No Vote)

    • Staff reported quarterly updates:
      • Denton Floyd’s George development received final planning and zoning approvals in July, with construction expected to start in January 2026.
      • Current 812 and Bolton TIE are at near 100% occupancy for both residential and commercial spaces.
      • An agreement was reached with Clark’s Landing for the Colgate site; Wayland Ventures (Louisville) will develop the 40-acre site. First project plans are expected in coming months.
      • The next required five-year review of the SCMU ordinance is 21 months away.

  • Discussion on Corner Lot Fencing (Discussion, No Vote)

    • Staff noted a significant increase in variance requests for privacy/chain link fences on corner lots (8 in 2025 compared to 1 in 2024, 0 in 2023, and 3 in 2022). Current ordinance prohibits such fences in required front yards (including both yard of a corner lot). Staff presented two options: do nothing or allow with conditions (e.g., set back from corners). The commission agreed to wait 6–12 months to determine if 2025 is an outlier or a trend before considering an ordinance amendment.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Preliminary Plat for 701 Potters Lane (unanimous) – 68 townhome units, subject to further development plan and final plat review.
  • Voted to Support DORA (unanimous) – Resolution sent to town council with a recommendation to consider extending the southern boundary to the park/river.
  • No Action on Corner Lot Fencing – Commission will revisit after observing 2026 requests.
  • Next Meeting: No specific date given; future development plan hearing for 701 Potters Lane expected in December 2025/January 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I'm alive. Okay, great. Hello, welcome everybody to Clarksville's Plan Commission meeting on September 3rd, 2025. Currently at 7 p 701 p.m. Um we'll start with the um if you will do a roll call real quick. Yeah, all right. Uh Commissioner Stimley. Here. Commissioner Sloan. Here. Commissioner Fisher. Here. President Winer. Here. Vice President Munich. Here. Uh Commissioner Smith. Here. And Commissioner Rayborn. Here. We are all here tonight. Thank you so very much. I would like to ask everybody to join us saying play the deletions, please. And to the Republic for which it stands. Under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for our thank you very much for doing that. We have the approval of the minutes for July 2nd, 2025, our regular session. All those in well, I need a motion. We'll start there. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes as presented. I have a motion on the floor. I need a second. I have a second on the floor. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, like sign. It passes. So once that's signed, uh would you uh Carrie, will you send it back down this way once you sign it? I appreciate you. Okay, we currently do not have any old business, so we're gonna move right into uh new business. And the first thing on new business this evening is docket SD 25001 is the preliminary plat of 701 Potters Lane for town home development. And Eric Merton and Matt Toole are here. So do you want to start us off, please, Neil? Yeah, just as a background or overview of what's uh what we're looking at this evening. Uh the applicant is seeking preliminary plat approval for a town home development at 701 Potters Lane. This is the former Shrine Club property, which is annexed into the town in June of this year. It was brought in as R3 with certain conditions as part of the annexation agreement, including facade materials and a prohibition on apartments. Each unit will be individually platted and sellable. The applicants met with the town's TRC in August in the in preparation for the preliminary plat meeting. Uh, this is the first public meeting on the project other than the annexation meeting uh with the town council.

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