Developers have the opportunity to do something really special with the largest undeveloped riverfront property in Chattanooga. We hope, in doing so, they don't put the cart before the horse.
The newly formed Riverton Development Group, which recently paid $8.1 million to purchase 210 acres on the Tennessee River from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, has in mind a walkable neighborhood that offers diverse housing options, a town center of shops, restaurants and small businesses, and a variety of recreation alternatives.
Thinking smartly, the developers' plan also includes hiking trails, nature trails, parks and wetlands, and leaves about one-third of the property undeveloped.
Officials say the entire build-out - including the phaseout of the nine-hole Lupton City Golf Club that is part of the land purchase - could be completed in five to seven years. That's where we worry.
Currently, one main road, Lupton Drive, leads to the area. Adding several hundred homes, condominiums and retail establishments increases the load on that thoroughfare manyfold. Speaking of loads, what about the area's sewers? How much retooling and installing of sewers must occur before final development of the area begins?
Meanwhile, the city, which must be involved in any road and sewer construction, owns the adjacent 12-acre Dixie Yarns site and said a year ago this month it would be spending as much as $1.5 million (after July 1 2017) to finish demolition of the former yarn mill. To date, that work has not started.
How, if at all, might the cleaned-up site fit into the Riverton Development Group's plan? If we were the city, we would think it might fit nicely and, as a bonus, return the development site to the city's tax roll.
In other words, an environmentally friendly, planned community on the river would be a delight for all who would choose to live there, which is perhaps a 10-minute drive to downtown. But such a delight doesn't come without the headaches of proper planning.
We're not suggesting the Riverton group hasn't thought about all this. But it has only a preliminary plan to date; a master plan has yet to be developed. It still must deal with the the variety of home options it wants to offer, its stated desire to house "a wide and diverse demographic," the size and scope of its town center, the proper type of recreational activities it will offer, and what part, if any, the adjoining Dixie Yarns site might play. In the light of all that, five to seven years seem like a short jump from now.
With proper planning, though, a tremendous upside awaits the city.