Saturday, October 15, 2016

Brewers take note: Clarksville's redevelopment site has its own sewage treatment plant. Just saying.


A couple of months ago I had lunch with Dylan Fisher, the town of Clarksville's redevelopment director. I went to college with Dylan's dad, and it's always delightful to see the next generation rising.

Dylan is a sharp young man who speaks the contemporary urban language, and for a town about to pivot away from suburban-oriented development to a denser, multi-modal future, his knowledge base is a tremendous asset to the community.

He also likes good beer.

For those reading from afar, New Albany's on the west side, Jeffersonville's on the east side, and Clarksville's right in the middle.

It is no exaggeration to posit that given Clarksville's location directly across the Ohio River from Louisville KY, coupled with these sixty-plus acres of former industrial properties now open to adaptive reuse, plus the completion of regional highway and bridge projects and the Ohio River Greenway (which slices right through Clarksville's waterfront), the South Clarksville Redevelopment Plan represents some of the greatest redevelopment potential we've ever witnessed on this side of the water.

Specifically for those who may be considering the merits of brewery expansion in Louisville KY metro, the old Colgate property has its own sewage treatment plant. I believe it's currently unused, but could be restarted, and I needn't remind brewers of how important this one single fact might be (and already has become for many), not to mention the mothballed industrial and transport infrastructure already waiting there.

I'm not getting a commission for any of this, though a growler or two would be nice.

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: South Clarksville redevelopment captures waterfront appeal, by Elizabeth Beilman (News and Tribune)

"Right now, we are focusing on the waterfront," Clarksville Redevelopment Director Dylan Fisher said. "The waterfront is a big thing for us because we think it's not only a leverage point for development activity ... but preserving our waterfront and improving our waterfront was a big thing for the public."

A waterfront park would have a raised walking platform, fountain and three catwalks out to old fuel storage tanks that could be converted into piers. Along Riverside Drive, Fisher envisions restaurants and a hotel. More gates could be installed in the floodwall to make way for additional roads that will make access to the shore easier.

Fisher argues its the missing piece of Southern Indiana.

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