Clarksville Gets Region’s First Megasite
Published May 19, 2008
The 1,187-acre tract, which offers easy access to Interstate 24, is the first TVA-certified "megasite" in Middle Tennessee.
Anchored by its strategic location and skilled labor force, Clarksville-Montgomery County has long been known as a solid industrial center. But thanks to the efforts of the Tennessee Valley Authority and local economic development officials, this booming community may soon be recognized as an automotive hot spot as well.
The community is trumpeting the fact that a local industrial property has been certified as TVA’s eighth “megasite.” The 1,187-acre site - known as Commerce Park, Central Tennessee’s Megasite - won certification by McCallum Sweeney Consulting of Greenville, S.C., an independent firm commissioned by TVA.
The property is the first in Middle Tennessee to win that designation, and it is ideally suited for automotive manufacturing, according to Mike Evans, vice president of economic development for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council.
“The TVA certification process through McCallum Sweeney Consulting identified large tracts of land throughout the region that would be suitable for automotive assembly plants or other types of major manufacturing,” Evans says. “To be eligible for certification, submitted sites had to have at least 1,000 acres of land; gas, water and sewer access; as well as highway and rail connectivity.”
Indeed, Commerce Park offers immediate access to Interstate 24, plus it is just a 45-minute drive from Nashville International Airport.
“In addition, the site had to be environmentally sound, free of archeological issues and provide compatible soil conditions for future construction,” Evans says. “Commerce Park, Central Tennessee’s Megasite, meets all these conditions.”
Working in partnership with TVA, local officials plan to market the site to manufacturers looking to build plants within the blossoming southern automotive corridor.
“Having a certified megasite in the Nashville area is a huge economic development milestone,” says James Chavez, president and chief executive officer of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council. “In this industry, speed-to-market is very important. Certified and deal-ready sites help consultants save time in their search process.”
Story by Amy Stumpfl
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