Chattanooga Development News

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by Insighter

Here is a link to a flattering article on Chattanooga from the upcoming issue of Forbes magazine. It covers the city's comeback from rust belt relic to budding technology hub.

http://www.forbes.com/business/forbe.../0407/098.html

The SimCenter is credited with a lot of the interest in that city as mainstream companies are finding it to be a useful resource in running their businesses more efficiently/effectively. The center is shopping around for a new site, and the frontrunner is believed to be the old, abandoned foundry site at the base of Lookout Mountain along Broad Street. The mayor wants the downtown revival to extend all the way from the river to the mountain.

That's a great article on Chattanooga. Thanks for posting! I learned some interesting new things about my home town, such as the fact that out electric bus service downtown moves over a million people per year. That's pretty impressive.




Another thing of note may have been revealed in Mayor Littlefield's state of the city address given a couple of weeks ago. He stated that there will be a BIG announcement concerning the 1600 Acre TVA megasite Enterprise South in the near future. I can't wait to find out what that might be.

[krazeeboi]

I continue to be impressed with the rapid progress Chattanooga is making.

The Brabson office development is pretty nice, and is a throwback to the past in terms of architecture. Is any retail/restaurant space built into the ground floor?

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by krazeeboi

I continue to be impressed with the rapid progress Chattanooga is making.

The Brabson office development is pretty nice, and is a throwback to the past in terms of architecture. Is any retail/restaurant space built into the ground floor?

Brabson Place is a 55,000 Sq Ft Office complex at the corner of Georgia Ave and 4th Street in downtowntown Chattanooga. The project houses the headquarters of two local firms, the offices of shopping center development company Wolford Development, and Vincit Group, a food safety and sanitation services company. In addition the project has room for commercial outlets on the ground floor (I don't know who or how many), and there is one condo on the upper floor. The price tag for the project was about $15 Million and the the two firms will bring 70 employees to work downtown.

[Insighter]

A new project for downtown, Cameron Harbor which includes a Marriott Spring Hill Suites hotel and 54 boat slips. Also, there will be 16 townhomes right on the water and a 25-unit high rise condo tower:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2...arbor-project/

[chattown]

http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_171728.asp

Condominium Towers Proposed Next To Finley Stadium
Development Would Cost $35 Million-$40 Million
posted March 23, 2010

A group of condominium towers is planned near Finley Stadium in a project costing between $35 million and $40 million, members of the Stadium Corporation board were told Tuesday.

Dan Thornton, city director of real property, said a group from New York bought the old Parkway Tower last year and plan to rehab it, including adding several stories at the top.

He said the group wants to assemble more property nearby along Riverfront Parkway and building several other condo towers that are 5-6 stories high.

Mr. Thornton said, "They have a sizable amount of money and they are ready to go," he said.

Local architect Terry Barker has drawn up plans for the project, he said.

However, Mr. Thornton said a number of steps must first be taken. It would involve making a nearby gravel lot as well as the site of a city dog park and city skatepark nearby available to the group.

Mr. Thornton said a larger site has been identified nearby to locate the dog park and skatepark.

He said of the project, "We are looking for quality developments that enhance our tax base."

He said there would be a request for proposals so that other developers could apply.

The Parkway Tower was long owned by local businessman Gary Fillers, who at one time won a lawsuit with the city, which had tried to take it by eminent domain. A major lawsuit was filed against Mr. Fillers and others after a teen fell through the roof of the vacant building and was paralyzed.

Mr. Thornton said the building has been checked out by engineers and is sound enough to be rehabbed. It was built for the old Tennessee Electric Power Company and is actually "overbuilt," Mr. Thornton said.

Plans call for the first floor of the remodeled building to be retail space.

[QueenCityDrag]

this is the old brown building by 27? was it used for firefighting training? they're adding floors to it??? huh. I wonder when chattanooga will get a new tallest. can't you just imagine a big modern skyline in that valley? not that i wish it upon chatty. that's why i have charlotte to visit. and yes, brabson is a good fit for 4th, it has a big impact on downtown when looking from the baseball stadium. nice vintage feel.

[chattown]

yeah its the old run down building by the football stadium, something about this article is fishy. The tower is really run down and i just dont see how this is feasible to remodel and add on too, plus it doesn't even mention the firm planning to do this and it just says "they have a sizable about of money" when it mentions financing....I hope this happens but there is a lot of missing info in this article

I have a feeling we will be getting a new tallest soon, once the economy rebounds, we have already landed some major relocations and are beginning to recover more quickly than most cities

[QueenCityDrag]

local insurance cos aren't that keen on height it seems. imo, parkway towers just doesn't seem like such a priority for keeping. in many cities withOUT chatt's core of historical bldgs parkway would be long gone. however, if there were a way to further jumpstart that area i suppose it's an idea. but without better interstate access i can see it bombing.

[QueenCityDrag]

so it's sringtime in the noog and changes are taking place...the mudpie has been bought by the guy(s) who own northshore grille and well...the entire warehouse riverfront building. the mudpie has basically been turned into the calypso grill (nashville) and will now be more of a bar than a coffehouse (with cheaper better food). however this will probably change the feel of frazier ave, bc with less competition i think the two bars will blend at least, and at most, one will be a venue and the other an after party place. i'm getting a nashville vibe, where once loveable imperfections will be prescribed and districtized. but listening to the service industry tonight, i think it is inevitable that the whole town's going down in chili's flames. i know buffalo wild wings has their 1st and market bldg going up and a lot at 4th and market (basically the block where every drug store in the country would want to get their hands on) has been torn down after ten years and there's talk of appleby's in the air. i am glad to work retail on frazier ave. because a: the rumours abound and b: my boss listen's to suggestions and is not imperialistic. but the independent spirit of chattanooga is constantly at odds with corporate play-money. i am thankful for the independent spirit of many downtown and north-chatt restaurants and stores, not to mention galleries and art-lots, who sustain the interests of everyone, for better or worse. and i would highly recommend sluggo's on north market for a unique culinary experience...

[QueenCityDrag]

Also found out greenlife has been bought by wholefoods. Didn't see that one coming.

[Eagle Empire]

What's going on in Chattanooga now?

[Insighter]

Wow! No comments before yours in a year. I can tell you there's actually quite a bit going on in Chatty. I'll list to be brief:

1. New 7-story Hampton Inn downtown completed in March 2011 http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2...tion-downtown/
2. New Hampton Inn planned by the same owner at Hamilton Place, behind the Big River Grille. Construction set to begin in Summer 2011
3. New student activity center at UTC, nearing completion
4. New $48M library and communications center at UTC, ground just broken: http://wiki.lib.utc.edu/index.php/Design_and_Graphics
5. New $80M marina and housing development downtown on the river, homes starting at $500K; http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2...-on-the-river/ and http://riverstreetarchitecture.com/#...bor-townhomes/
6. New $18M Embassy Suites planned at I-75 and Shallowford
7. New 1 million sq.ft. Amazon.com distribution center u/c next to the Volkswagen plant that is now open and making cars (Jetta). A new 1 million sq.ft. Amazon.com distribution center is also u/c 25 miles to the north up I-75 in Cleveland
8. New $15M I-75 Interchange at Apison Pike at Collegedale/Ooltewah (u/c) http://www.wdef.com/news/interstate_...coming/08/2010
9. New $1.5 billion plant u/c in Cleveland for Wacker-Chemie to produce solar panels
10. New $120M (1.4 million sq.ft.) expansion of Whirlpool factory in Cleveland to accommodate consolidation of product lines from other parts of the USA
11. $10M Aerisyn (Schaaf Industrie) and $19M Koch expansions
12. $11 dollar Wrigley expansion for its Altoids and Life Savers product lines
13. $35M Chattem expansion for its Sanofi-Aventis production line; http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_152034.asp
14. IBI expansion
15. New Volkswagen visitor center and adjacent greenway with 20 miles of hiking and bike trails in development
16. New Majestic Multi-plex recently completed downtown.
17. South Main district expands, with recent additions including Terminal Brew Pub and Blue Orleans restaurant, and the renovation of the 1927 Arabic design former YMCA into a new youth hostel.
18. New Chattanooga history center planned for Market and 2nd Street
19. Housing is rebounding in Chattanooga, with an increase in permits for the past 10 months. The North Shore is booming
20. Millions in infrastructure improvements around Hamilton County, mostly in road expansions, including East Brainerd, Bonny Oaks, US 31, US27, and I-75; and additional roundabouts around the city
21. TVA is ramping up its Nuclear Power division based in Chattanooga, including resumption of construction of nearby power plants with over $4 billion in construction
22. New Holiday Inn Crown Plaza going into 1925 former office tower downtown
23. Conversion of former Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters downtown ("Gold Building" designed by John Portman) to a 200-room luxury hotel
24. $5 million expansion of LJT steel company
25. New office campus at I-75 and East Brainerd Rd.
26. New anchor shopping center at Hwy. 153 and Gadd Rd. in Hixson
27. New parking garage and car rental center at Chattanooga Municipal Airport
28. New Hyatt Hotel at Hamilton Place
29. Hamilton Place Mall expansion with town center
30. New Costco opened recently at Cloud Springs Rd. and I-75
31. New $330 million Chickamauga Dam lock replacement
32. New automobile dealership on Riverside Drive and new expansion of Ford dealership on 23rd Street downtown; New Mercedes dealership expansion
33. Several new restaurants downtown and South End
34. At least three new public schools
35. Approximately $60 million in new churches and church expansion projects
36. New Florida Medical Sciences Hall at Southern Adventist University recently completed
37. New Academic Building at Chattanooga State CC recently completed
38. New parking garage for Unum headquarters downtown
39. Two new Tennessee state welcome centers at I-75 and I-24
40. 2 new Hampton Inns at I-75 McDonald exit and at I-24 Kimball exit
41. $90M Gestamp new production facility at Enterprise South
42. $70M IVC new plant in Dalton
43. Auto suppliers at the VW "Green City" supplier park representing 500 new jobs, including Hollingsworth, Magna, MTEK, Wingard, and ThyssenKrup.
44. Tennessee National Guard Reserves and Training Center
45. New Railroad exchange depot at Enterprise South and bridge over Bonny Oaks Rd.
46. New mixed-use shopping and residential community planned for the intersection of Ooltewah-Ringgold and East Brainerd roads. East Brainerd Rd. will begin its expansion to 5-lanes all the way to Ooltewah-Ringgold Rd.
47. $40M luxury apartment community at the North Shore recently completed. Also, $35M condominium midrise completed at North Shore and Market Street. $50M apartment community on the South End of the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge
48. $380M expansion of Memorial Hospital, major campus upgrades; http://www.chattanoogachamber.com/ne...06_page_25.asp and http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/...ves-expansion/
49. $25M expansion of Erlanger East medical center
50. Memorial Healthcare facility in Ooltewah
51. $13M expansion of Cleveland Coca-Cola bottling plant
52. $4.2M expansion of Cleveland downtown library
53. $60M expansion of Mars M&M plant in Cleveland, adding two additional assembly lines
54. $280M Alstom power operations in Chattanooga; http://timesfreepress.com/http://www...attanooga.com/
55. Ooltewah Town Center /The Inaugurationnews/2011/mar/08/ooltewah-town-center-may-finish-10-years/

That's just the stuff I know about, and this doesn't even include the $1B Volkwagen factory and relocation of its North American headquarters to offices downtown.

[krazeeboi]

That new Hampton Inn downtown looks good:

[Eagle Empire]

Wow, lots of projects!

[QueenCityDrag]

Is that all? I'm impressed with cleveland, but what really gets my attention is the hostal...that is one of the COOLEST bldgs in chattanooga. Not a lot of towns this size can boast about having a hostal, and it's the perfect location. Now all the buskers and sign flyers will have place to sleep besides my couch with the hundreds of dollars they make every day

[Dariusb]

All that development looks nice! I didn't know Chattanooga was booming like that.

[Hankster]

That's a great list, Insighter. Thanks for posting.

We're also very excited down here about the prospects that Volkswagon will announce an expansion of their 1 Billion dollar assembly plant to build another model. If sales go well for the Passat, as expected, the expansion is almost certain. The new Passat starts at only $16,995. That's $7,000 less than the German made Passat it replaces. The car is bigger, has more back seat legroom, more power, and yet has higher mileage. There are gas and diesel engine options, and the diesel will get around 40 miles per gallon. It's hard to imagine how it won't be a hit.

[Dale]

Any new news ?

[Insighter]

Most of those projects listed are still underway... if not recently completed. But there is a lot going on besides those. Just yesterday, it was announced that the Market Street property that has been tied up in courts to revert back to city property from the Atlanta developer who has had control of it for more than six years. Trey Stanley was unable to develop the property that used to contain original Victorian era buildings with beautiful facades. While in disrepair, my office consulted the city of Chattanooga NOT to allow them to be demolished. We were backing a competing developer that was not offering all the bells and whistles, but we had the building checked out for restoration. We wouldn't have backed it without being certain that the buildings were restorable. The city instead went with Stanley, and the row was demolished. They are in court now trying to reclaim the property. A developer group has proposed a $20 million mixed-use eco-friendly project.

[Dale]

I must say that I'm thoroughly impressed with Chattanooga. It's getting lots of accolades and I can certainly see why.