East Ridge Mayor Brent LambertEAST RIDGE’S BORDER REGIONEast Ridge’s approved Border Region district includes 950 acres in areas around Exit 1, the Interstate 75/24 interchange, the central business district along Ringgold Road, Germantown Road and the area on the north side of I-24 along Germantown Road.
East Ridge officials are heralding a special state-granted tax designation as an “economic game-changer.”
On Monday the city learned that several areas within the city had been approved as a “border region retail tourism development district” by the Tennessee’s commissioner of Revenue and the commissioner of Economic and Community Development.
“It’s hard to quantify the impact this could have, and we probably won’t be able to quantify it till about 20 years down the road,” explained Mayor Brent Lambert, who said the designation could be “the single most significant event to occur in East Ridge” during his lifetime.
“This provides us with the tools to really see a makeover of the city. It allows us to really go after some big-time economic development.”