ONE Riverfront Plan For Chattanooga Unveiled
Photo: Chattanooga Riverfront
Photo Credit: River City Company
Published July 29, 2021
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Chattanooga’s River City Company unveiled the new ONE Riverfront Plan on Tuesday, July 27. The presentation took place at the Tennessee Aquarium and was free for the public to attend. River City Company held a morning session and an evening session.
The new River City Master Plan will change what Chattanooga’s Riverfront District looks like.
“What we think of it is the evolution of the Riverfront District,” the CEO and President of River City Company, Emily Mack, said.
The company has been working on the plan for 18 months in hopes to revamp one of the region’s biggest tourist destinations.
Eric Price from News Channel 9 attended the River City presentation where they unveiled what will be the future of the Riverfront District.
“Today the River City Company has a plan to take the Riverfront to the next level,” Price tweeted on Tuesday. “Over the past 18 months, the company has led ONE Riverfront, a community planning process, to create a master plan. This is one of the biggest renovations to happen at the Riverfront since the 2000s.”
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The Master Plan will address challenges the district is facing, including old infrastructure and amenities. They will also address the imbalance of tourists and visitors.
Mack said, “It’s been 15 years since the Riverfront District — including the amenities, the infrastructure, and even some of the buildings — have really been touched.”
According to River City Company, the plan came after hearing from thousands of community members. It has been broken down into four aspirations and eight strategies.
The four aspirations aim to activate the Riverfront, create a place for each and every Chattanoogan, develop a better sense of place, and strengthen the connection to the Riverfront.
The strategies to reach these include humanizing the parks, building inclusively, having Chattanoogans come together at the River, and establishing the Riverfront Front Door. The Master Plan also consists of creating a civic campus, connecting to Downtown, refreshing the Riverwalk, and encouraging visitors to get their feet wet in the Tennessee River.
“The first phase of implementation will include programming and animation of many areas in the Riverfront,” Mack said. “We are excited to continue our partnership with stakeholders in the Riverfront to begin to identify the first steps of the larger projects including redevelopments of vacant spaces. This is a living plan that will lead River City Company’s work for many years to come.”
However, it could take up to ten years for the developments to get underway.
“The River City Company says the plans are still concepts and ideas,” Price said on Twitter. “And actual construction would happen approximately 7-10 years from now. They have not released how much the project will cost at the moment.”
A recording of the Master Plan presentation can be found on the ONE Riverfront website.
There are a few upcoming free events in the Riverfront District. Family Fun on the Green takes place on August 7, City Sweat on Ross’s Landing will be on August 12, and the Musical Mystery Tour will take place on August 21.
About the Author:
Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative
Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
