Staff Report
RiverCity Co. has bought the Union Gospel Mission property at the corner of East Main and Market streets on the Southside.
"After more than 25 years in these facilities, we felt that the revitalization taking place along Main Street offered a good opportunity for the mission to find an updated property," said Mike Parish, business administrator at Highland Park Baptist Church, which founded and oversees the mission's work. "The Union Gospel Mission will continue to serve the homeless in Chattanooga, and we are pleased that we were able to sell the Main Street campus to the benefit of both the neighborhood and them mission's work."
The mission will continue at the site for a year rent-free. "We felt strongly that it was the right thing to give the mission plenty of time to find a new site for their good work," said Jeff Cannon, construction manager with RiverCity.
During the next year, RiverCity said it will submit a Request for Proposals (RFP) for development of the parcel.
RiverCity is a private, nonprofit company chartered 21 years ago to assist city and county governments and the private sector in encouraging economic development and in creating public spaces in downtown Chattanooga.
See tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press for complete coverage.
