Visiting urban sprawls like the city of Atlanta makes one realize the importance and necessity of community planning, said J. Ed Marston, vice president of marketing and communications for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
That’s why the Chamber is partnering with local foundations, corporate partners and both city and county government to generate a long-term regional growth plan that will cover everything from infrastructure to education, said Tom Edd Wilson, president of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Fifty years from now people will look back and say, ‘This is what made Chattanooga so great; they planned for this,'” he said. “Where are we going to build sewers? What if the population doubles in 25 years? What is that going to do to traffic? It’s not as exciting as an Aquarium. That was low-hanging fruit; we had so many problems. All the low-hanging fruit is gone. It’s critical you get behind this.”
They are beginning to approach funding partners to help cover the estimated $3 million cost, which will be split evenly between local foundations, local government and local businesses and corporations, said Wilson.
“In the long run, if we do this the right way, it’s actually going to save the community a lot of money,” Marston said, referring to being able to proactively avoid problems cities like Atlanta and Birmingham are facing because they ignored some of their infrastructure issues that came with growth.
The city of Chattanooga has been in a non-growth mode for decades, said Peter Cooper, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. The regional growth plan will serve as a GPS for the community that will address unmet needs of the city’s entire population, he said.
“The things that make our city attractive are the things we don’t want to lose,” said Cooper.
With the introduction of new companies like Volkswagon and Wacker, planning is required to counterbalance growth, he said.
“The growth that Chattanooga is going to experience and the challenges that come with that growth are the single necessary reason for us to plan intelligently,” said Wilson.
The 14-county plan will include Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Walker and Whitfield counties in Georgia.
Requests of qualifications sent by outside consultants are currently being evaluated, and the creation of this plan could take up to two years, said Marston.