Brainerd residents, led by Councilwoman Carol Berz, submitted a long-term plan to rejuvenate the Brainerd area to city planners Monday, who passed the measure onto the City Council for final approval.
The plan calls for a laundry list of action, from renewing Eastgate Town Center and promoting streetscape improvements to adding greenways and developing “a more campuslike atmosphere.”
The actions suggested closely resemble efforts under way in the South Broad redevelopment district and on Main Street, which have recently picked up speed.
“I think a great deal of credit for this plan goes to the people of Brainerd,” Berz said.
Tim Boyd, county commissioner for Brainerd and East Ridge, promised in his campaign to make the area “a great place to live,” and told other planners on Monday he applauds the proposal.
“The plan brings a whole new focus to this area and brings the community closer together, while bringing historical significance to the forefront and setting aside green spaces,” he said.
Members of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission passed the plan unanimously.
Special attention will be paid to the Brainerd Mission Cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but is currently “hidden and isolated” with a “lack of pedestrian connectivity.”
The Mission, named after 18th century Christian missionary David Brainerd, was founded to “teach basic proficiency in reading and writing” to American Indians in the area, according to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.
Much of it was destroyed by a fire in 1830, and the expulsion of the Cherokees from the Southeast in 1838 forced the Brainerd Mission to permanently abandon the site, wrote David Nichols, a University of Kentucky historian.
Plans call for developing the site to celebrate the mission’s history, with an archival center, a plaza, retail and a library/interactive center.
Locations like Brainerd Village, which is cited as having a lack of a pedestrian link, will be beautified with landscaping and facilities such as a hotel.
Planners will also work to improve the Eastgate Library Branch, which is currently “isolated, underutilized and in need of a much larger building.” Plans call for increased live/work medium to high-density development, increased landscaping buffers and more.
Other plan elements call for botanical gardens and walking trails, demolition of underutilized and vacant buildings to pave the way for a enhancing the visual appearance of the area, and defining the community.
No timeline was introduced, as the plan is still in the “vision” stages, but stakeholders including the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the River City Co. and city agencies such as the Department of Public Works signed the document.
Brainerd encompasses the 37411 ZIP code, has a population of around 17,000, and an average household income of $59,723, according to a 2007 survey cited in the report.
Contact staff writer Ellis Smith at esmith@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6315.