Looking Forward: Why Downtown
By Kim White
In the past two decades, Chattanooga has seen its fair share of change. For the thousands of people who call Chattanooga home, it is obvious that downtown has played an enormous role in our city’s renaissance. The transformation of downtown has inspired change throughout our community, attracted millions of visitors, and generated more than $2 billion in private investment. As one of only three metropolitan communities in America that has seen positive growth in its urban core over the past decade, we are the envy of cities everywhere.
RiverCity Company has played a key role from the beginning, when our community created a public vision for what downtown should become. For 23 years, RiverCity has worked behind the scenes to ensure that downtown brings powerful economic, cultural and social benefit to the entire region.
The landmarks of RiverCity’s work include the Tennessee Aquarium, 21st Century Waterfront, Tennessee Riverwalk, Renaissance Park, Creative Discovery Museum, and the recently unveiled Majestic Theater. But our work is far from finished.
Since I joined RiverCity in July, we have been in the process of developing a forward-facing strategic plan. As we have met with partners from every corner of Chattanooga, two themes have emerged that will shape RiverCity – and downtown – in 2010 and beyond.
The first is that we must build on the foundation of our successes. In addition to banner projects such as the Aquarium, RiverCity has historically been known for taking a leadership role in development deemed too risky for private companies. By developing the Aquarium and Creative Discovery Museum several blocks apart, we encouraged the growth of restaurants and hotels in between. Our work on RiverSet Apartments, on the Waterfront and in Walnut Hill helped open doors for the construction of more than 1,200 new residences downtown.
Building upon this role, we will redevelop the former Bijou and the remainder of the Majestic property for commercial use, including ground floor retail that animates the street, helps the economy and encourages more Chattanoogans to live downtown. As Volkswagen arrives, we will create opportunities for related employers in the urban core, while maintaining Chattanooga’s unique and wonderful character. We will also continue working with Warehouse Row and property owners on Main Street to recruit businesses to these two distinctly different commercial areas, augmenting existing anchors and supporting efforts to fill in the gaps throughout downtown.
RiverCity will continue to serve in this role, as facilitator of key development projects. But our strategic planning has also unearthed a second trend. Our experience animating downtown, with events like Nightfall and Pops on the River, and our leadership in the Main Street revitalization and green|spaces sustainability initiatives place us in a unique position to promote Chattanooga. So we will work hand in hand with the City and County, the Chamber and private businesses to tell downtown’s amazing story to investors, retailers, and businesses as well as residents and visitors.
Earlier this month, I found myself standing outside the Majestic Theater, looking up at the landmark projects along that stretch of Broad Street. And I was struck, once again, that these buildings only tell part of the story. None of these projects could have been completed without thoughtful planning and committed partnership of many people. It is thanks to strong, active collaboration by many organizations that our downtown truly is for everyone.
For years, RiverCity has been the table around which partners have gathered to build projects that make downtown better. People from widely different organizations and perspectives gather to do good work, and we hope that they will continue to do so. Together, we will reshape and tell the story of our downtown in ways that look backward in gratitude, but also look forward.
Chattanooga has seen its fair share of change. But keep your eyes open, because our city’s best years are yet to come.
