Photo: Chattanooga Riverfront
Photo Credit: ONE Riverfront Chattanooga
Published July 21, 2021
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
River City Company in Chattanooga has been leading ONE Riverfront redevelopment for the past eighteen months. The community planning group has been spending that time coming up with a new District Master Plan.
The Riverfront saw numerous developments in the early 2000’s, which included the Tennessee Riverwalk, AT&T Field, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the 21st Century Waterfront Park. However, there have been significantly less in recent years.
One of the issues the district is currently dealing with is an imbalance of visitors, aging infrastructure, and worn down amenities.
After originally launching the plan in 2020, the district heard from the community on what kind of improvements could be made. River City Company will be hosting two sessions on July 27th to share more information about the strategies and aspirations of the ONE Riverfront plan.
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“While our timeline for the creation of the plan was extended due to COVID-19, it allowed us to hear from more people across the community and to test concepts like the Open Streets project on Broad Street and install temporary seating on Ross’s Landing,” Emily Mack, President and CEO of River City Company said, “The community reveal sessions mark the end of the planning process, and we are excited to begin the implementation phase, which will launch with more programming and activation in multiple spaces in the Riverfront.”
Both sessions will be held at the Tennessee Aquarium in the River Journey building. The first session will be at 8:30 in the morning and the second will start at 5:00 in the evening.
According to the ONE Riverfront website, “Over the past year we have heard from more than 2,300 community voices as part of the ONE Riverfront Chattanooga planning process. We are excited to be able to present to you a final plan outlining the Four Aspirations and the Eight Strategies for ONE Riverfront.”
The Master Plan allows for the community to help with advancing the riverfront park system, strengthen their connection to the greater downtown area, and create a place that serves locals and visitors alike.
Jim Williamson, the vice president of planning and development for the redevelopment group River City Co., said the pandemic allowed for more community input on future plans.
When speaking about the Master Plan in June, Williamson said, “It’s going to take a lot of work. It doesn’t happen overnight. There’s got to be follow-up, not just checking the box. We’ve shown we don’t do plans and put them on a shelf. That’s the beginning of the hard work.”
After both sessions, an hour long presentation of the plan will be shown to those in attendance. The morning session will include a small breakfast and the evening session will come with refreshments. They are both free for the public to attend, but require registration.
Anyone can register to attend either of the sessions through the ONE Riverfront Chattanooga website before the 27th. Both of them will be recorded and made available on the same website.
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
