Indoor Sports Complex RFP

I had the honor and privilege last evening (10-22-2019) of offering the motion to issue a Request For Proposals (RFP) to build an indoor sports facility on the site of the former America’s Best Inns and Suites at Eastern Boulevard and I-65.
The RFP calls for a developer to create the complex on a 4.1 acre tract of land where the motel had been situated. The development, now being called the Eastern Boulevard Gateway Sports Complex, is an opportunity for qualified developers to create a complex that is “harmonious with the neighborhood character” and include indoor facilities for sports such as but not limited to soccer, tennis and basketball.
Clarksville School Board President Bill Wilson, who sits on the Redevelopment as a non-voting member, said the development would interface with the school corporation’s sports activities in addition to serving to attract traveling teams and tournament play. The facility will augment the town’s existing outdoor sports facilities that already attract many out-of-town teams for league and tournament play adding to the local economy with lodging, meal and shopping expenditures.
Developers must submit their proposals by November 26 in order to qualify to be considered as the primary developer. The site will be leased to the successful developer for an initial period of 25 years with two optional 5-year extensions being made available. The town will retain ownership, but because of the lease arrangement, the developer will pay property taxes on the development.
The existing hotel complex is to be demolished by the end of the year to make room for the development. In the end, the town will own the site and collect rent and taxes on the development.