GOOD START FOR RIVERFRONT
At what point do ideas become a concrete plan? That’s what many Chattanoogans may be wondering after what was called a new master plan for the city’s riverfront was revealed at the Tennessee Aquarium Tuesday.
The One Riverfront Plan includes an array of proposals, including making the river end of Broad Street more of a pedestrian corridor, but it does not address funding, does not factor in AT&T Field because the Chattanooga Lookouts may or may not stay there, suggests news uses of many current parking lots but does not specify where the daily occupants of those lots would park, and foresees more restaurants in an area in which many have come and gone over the last two decades.
The master plan, 18 months in the making, drew suggestions from more than 2,000 people, according to Emily Mack, president and chief executive officer of River City Co., the downtown nonprofit redevelopment group.
We’re not against any of the proposals because, with the exception of the Broad Street plan, they don’t seem fleshed out. Indeed, we agree that nearly 20 years after former Mayor Bob Corker redeveloped the riverfront in what was known as the 21st Century Waterfront Project, the area needs freshening.
Who pays for it, whether it puts development over open space and what it plans for the cars that will naturally bring people to the area are just a few of the questions that must be answered.
The Broad Street makeover would reduce the road to two lanes with a turn lane at major intersections. On-street parking apparently would not be available farther north than Fourth Street. Sidewalks would be widened to accommodate pedestrians and tables for cafes. Bike lanes, which then-candidate Tim Kelly sarcastically called “a noble experiment” when running for mayor late last winter, would remain.
A representative of the planning firm MKSK, which River City Co. contracted to work with for the master plan, said the aims are a “front door” for the riverfront, a civic campus” in the blocks around the area’s signature Tennessee Aquarium, and a lot of public-facing street activities.
The plans envision multi-story buildings being erected on parking lots between Riverfront Parkway and what used to be known as Hawk Hill, where AT&T Field sits, a “signature structure” such as a headquarters building in the place of a parking lot at Chestnut Street and Aquarium Way, and development on other parking lots.
Where, we wonder, do planners eye local residents, who have come downtown for an evening out, or tourist families with small children, parking?
Yes, parking lots in nicely developed areas are eyesores, but Chattanooga downtown parking garages are limited, not all are handy to the riverfront and all are not well marked. If signage and all city publicity directed motorists to available parking garages and a larger fleet of shuttle buses ran by each garage constantly and dropped users at Aquarium Plaza, the civic campus at the Riverfront becomes an even more compelling idea.
Also mentioned in the updated plans for the area are a circular park at the end of Broad Street near the aquarium, a more inviting Ross’ Landing park with more shade trees, flowers, art and comfortable seating, and updated water features around the aquarium.
Our hope is that developers aren’t allowed to gobble up every open space close to the riverfront for housing or retail space. One of the inviting draws of the area is its openness. The closer buildings encroach to the edge of the Tennessee River, the less appealing the area becomes.
A representative of the planning group said the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn people to such open spaces, so we hope final plans for the area keep that in mind.
Thirty years ago, when plans were in the works for the aquarium, many people couldn’t see it, couldn’t imagine it, couldn’t fathom how a tourist attraction near the river might help the city. Twenty years ago, when plans were in the works for the 21st Century Waterfront Project, many people couldn’t see it, couldn’t imagine it and couldn’t fathom how a redevelopment of the riverfront could revive a city’s downtown.
Today, we imagine there are many local residents with questions about the new master plan. They’re not wrong to have the questions, and we hope as plans are solidified their questions will be answered. A freshened waterfront can only help the city, but it must be done smartly and with all citizens in mind. At this point, the ideas put forth Tuesday are a good start.