Neighborhood input sought for plan

People living in East Chattanooga are invited to bring their energy and their ideas to a kickoff event for a community planning process on June 23.

“When planning for a community’s future it’s vital that we have input from its members,” John Bridger, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, said in a news release Thursday.

“While this plan will update and build upon previous plans for this area, these plans are driven by community feedback and we are excited to work with Chattanoogans throughout this process.”

The Area 3 Plan covers parts of the city between South Chickamauga Creek, Missionary Ridge, Interstate 24, and the Tennessee River downtown.

It includes the neighborhoods of Avondale, Battery Heights, Boyce Station, Bushtown, Churchville, Ferger Place, Gaylan Heights, Glass Farms, Glenwood, Highland Park, Missionary Ridge, Oak Grove, Orchard Knob, Ridgedale, Riverside, Waterhaven, and Wheeler Avenue, and encompasses portions of City Council districts 5, 8, and 9.

The goal is to identify community goals and craft a vision for the area’s future, the news release from Mayor Andy Berke’s office states. The plan will provide guidance on where and when new growth and redevelopment should take place, and which areas should be preserved as they are.

The Area 3 Plan is the second undertaken by the planning agency. The first was the White Oak Mountain area comprising Apison, Collegedale, East Brainerd, Ooltewah and Summit.