Christian Rushing with map of planned downtown changes
A revisioning for the City Center that was unveiled at a public meeting on Wednesday night includes reducing Broad Street to two traffic lanes each way and using the former traffic lanes for a separate bikeway, wider sidewalks and water-soaking green space.
It also includes opening up the "reclusive" Miller Park and adding a seven-story residential tower at the south end of the park. There would be another commercial/residential tower as well as a parking garage nearby at the Civic Forum Block that is now a surface parking lot.
A parking garage would also be at the current site of the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union at 715 Market St. Christian Rushing of the River City Company said TVFCU officials are open to giving up that space.
Another plan is for a new park at the current site of the Mountain City Club at Eighth and Chestnut. Garnet Chapin asked, "Who has talked to the Mountain City Club?" Mr. Rushing smiled that it was one of the prerogatives of planners "to draw up plans on other peoples' land." He noted there was now at the site a one-story building that does not have significant historical value.
A new six-story residential structure and parking garage would be near the Gold Building.
Officials at the meeting at the Bessie Smith Hall said all the new garages in the plan would provide spaces for 1,200 cars.
Patten Parkway would retain its war memorial and flag plaza as well as its angled parking. But it would be designed "to favor pedestrians over motorists" and have more narrow, raised driving lanes. The parkway would be an ideal location for festivals, curb markets and other uses under the redesign, it was stated.
The planners talked of a number of downtown one-way streets, including Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth streets going back to two-way.
Officials said Broad Street has the capacity to carry 80,000 vehicles per day, but it now handles 27,000 vehicles per day and that number is holding steady or declining. With the redesign, some blocks could be closed altogether for certain events and it would be "one of the longest pedestrian malls in the state."
Planner Mike Fowler said Chattanooga has a problem with stormwater runoff, and he said adding more green space on Broad Street would soak up some of that water rather than sending it to the Tennessee River."It would make for a more environmental, sustainable Chattanooga," he said.
Mr. Rushing said Miller Park was designed in another era as an isolated spot. The new plan would keep the fountain, but the waterfall would have a reduced drop. The berms would be removed and the site would be raised several feet.
Efforts would be made to have more connectivity between Miller Park and Miller Plaza with a raised roadway between the two that could be closed off for certain events.
Of all the planned new downtown housing, Mr. Rushing said, "Consultants tell us there is a massive pent up demand for downtown housing."
He said the challenge is to get it the right size units and make them affordable.
One idea was to convert the top of the SunTrust and First Tennessee Bank buildings for penthouse condos "with fantastic views."
The City Center district is characterized from south of 4th street to 12th and Highway 27 to Georgia Avenue. The charrette and subsequent plan however focuses on a smaller subset of the district from 6th to 10th, Highway 27 to Georgia Avenue with the addition of Patten Parkway.
The City Center Plan was developed by a mixed team of local and regional participants with expertise in urban design and planning, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation, development and other fields.
Over 200 citizens took part in a charette on Monday to give input on the plan.