Mayor Brent Lambert
photo by Gail Perry
There is more economic development taking place in East Ridge than ever before, said Mayor Brent Lambert. Speaking to the Pachyderm Club of Hamilton County Monday, Mayor Lambert told the club members of all the positive things that are taking place in his city.
The growth in economic development was spurred by the Border Region Act that the state of Tennessee enacted in 2011. East Ridge was one of three cities that secured the designation before the window of opportunity closed in 2012. It allows for development of up to a 950-acre parcel in cities that are adjacent to state lines. From sales made within the designated area, 75 percent of sales tax revenue that is collected by the state will be returned to East Ridge for 10 years. The costs associated with creating the developments will also be reimbursed to the city, including incentives to large businesses and improvements to attract them. So far, East Ridge has received $870,100 in reimbursements.
The anchor store for the Border Region development will be Bass Pro Shop. The mayor said historically each Bass Pro Shop has $25 million-$30 million in sales annually, which will provide a nice increase for the city. The store is expected to open sometime between June 16 and July 14 this summer. Other businesses are slated to open surrounding this one, including a Zaxby’s and four or five other restaurants. A hotel is planned as well as an additional 200,000 square feet of retail. All of this is being built on city-owned land at Camp Jordan Park. Additional acreage included in the Border Region district lies along both sides of Ringgold Road because anything considered redevelopment can also be included in the designation. The Jordan Crossing development, when finished, will be a $100 million project.
The Jordan Crossing shopping center is not the only good thing happening, said Mayor Lambert. Where I-75 goes through the city, Exit 1, the first exit off the interstate into Tennessee, a new Life Care center is being built that will have three buildings for independent and assisted living. This represents a $25 million investment.
The city is offering long time business owners a way to make improvements to their buildings as well as providing the support for the new stores. The Façade Improvement Program is being made available for old established buildings that need help. A building owner can be reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the work that is done, up to a maximum of $10,000. The money can be used for parking lots, awnings, and other items that improve a building’s appearance along Ringgold Road, the main thoroughfare through town.
East Ridge has also applied for and received a multi-modal grant from TDOT that will be used to put in sidewalks and street-scaping along a significant portion of Ringgold Road. He said if the city looks better, it is believed that people will stay longer and support other businesses in the city.
With all the new development, he said that infrastructure improvements were needed, and a new major road project will be built - the first new road in many years. It will make the two-lane road into Jordan Crossing into four lanes and will be a $1.8 million total project, with Hamilton County contributing a half million and $1 million pledged by TDOT for the work. A request for quote has also been issued for making improvements to the intersection of Ringgold Road with I-75. It will be reconfigured to make Jordan Crossing easier to enter. The state and county will also contribute to the cost for this project. Mayor Lambert said even if the new development was taken out, this new intersection was needed to improve access to Ringgold Road.
The East Ridge fire and police departments are both dong great jobs, said the mayor. The fire department has an ISO rating of 2. It is one of only 15 cities in Tennessee to achieve this high rating. The police have a handle on crime in the city where the physical location makes it challenging. The aggravating factor is Interstate access, with two Interstates, I-24 and I-75 both running through East Ridge. Additionally the city sits on the state line.
Very few cities have a 250-acre park for recreation, but East Ridge does. There are 13 baseball fields, nine soccer fields, an arena for indoor soccer and an amphitheater.
This is the front door to Hamilton County, said the mayor, and a good East Ridge is good for everyone who lives in the area. He said that in 10-15 years, you will not recognize it.
Responding to questions, Mayor Lambert said that the situation with the Superior Creek Lodge being condemned was something no one wanted to see happen. The condition of the balconies was so bad, he said, that had a fire emergency happened and all residents left at once, there would have been a disaster. The buildings have now been sold and will be operated as an extended stay motel. Previously, he said it was operated as an apartment with people living there for years. The city has an ordinance that will allow a maximum stay of 90 days for an extended stay operation. There are still several other motel/apartments that will lose their grandfathered status if they ever change owners.
As for the flooding problems in the city, he said eight to 10 percent of the land in the city limits has flooding issues. When many houses were built 50 years ago, regulations that are in place now were non-existent. Some homes that have repeatedly flooded throughout the years have been bought by the city and torn down because the property is defined as a flood-way, not just a flood plain. Some roads that are close to the creek are also in flood-ways. If these are ever torn down they cannot be rebuilt.
A final question was about a traffic signal at the entrance to the new Walmart Neighborhood Market on Ringgold Road. Mayor Lambert said the city is about to do a traffic study to determine if one is needed.