The Clarksville development project could bring the Amtrak station to the area

A major development project is on its way to Clarksville. After a year-long process, the city was chosen as the site for a multimillion-dollar plan that includes a conference center, a hotel, and an Amtrak train station. “People would be able to. They can come from Clarksville, Louisville, Indianapolis, even Chicago if they want and be back the same day,” said Ken Conklin, communications director for the city of Clarksville. The new train route is expected to be a huge part of the $53 million project, and Clarksville business owners are already responding positively. “It’s good for us when we travel and attend conventions. That would be awesome,” said Greg Mosier, owner of Deep Search Tattoo. Nearby companies are looking forward to another project that expands what is now Clarksville’s mecca for new development. The site will be on the Ohio River at the former Colgate facility. “It’s great to see people walking down the street now, instead of just seeing buildings being constructed.” It was nice to see that transition happen,” said Brittany Sheckles, owner of B. Prolific Salon. Officials say the vision for this area is a community where people can live, work and play. Those elements, coupled with lower costs and the ability to quickly commercialize the project, are what attracted them to South Clarksville, according to Southern Indiana Tourism. “We realized that for us as a destination, trying to grow the tourism business was the next logical thing for our community,” said Jim Epperson, executive director of Southern Indiana Tourism. “We currently do not have the facilities that would allow us to even enter the meetings and conference business or the meeting planner world to sell our destination as a destination. So it’s a new market with incredible growth potential.” The choice of Clarksville as the preferred location for the conference center is exciting for the future of the city. Epperson says the economic benefits also extend to southern Indiana as a whole. “That means Clarksville, Jeffersonville, New Albany and even New Washington could benefit because we have some cool independent restaurants in the area that people coming from out of town will be visiting,” he said. “We book sufficiently large events that require more hotel rooms than we have on site. There is retail spending, so the impact will be felt across the region.” Officials say the next steps are aimed at solidifying the development plan and securing funding. The aim is to start construction in the next few years. The decision was the result of a feasibility study commissioned by SoIN Tourism and conducted by Johnson Consulting that compared the South Clarksville site to the former Jeffboat site in Jeffersonville. To view the full feasibility study for the conference center, visit the City of Clarksville website.