The plan for a reimagined downtown riverfront is nearly finalized, and the public has the opportunity to provide feedback on the design.
At a Thursday open house in the Tennessee Aquarium’s River Journey building, planners invited the community to make the rounds at stations that each highlighted an aspect of the reimagined riverfront, from dining to play to greenery and more. Cards and pens sat on a table at each station, so people could offer their thoughts.
Those who did not attend the open house can still provide feedback on the plan by visiting riverfrontparkscha.com, where they can find images of the design and a survey to complete through April 11.
Features of the plan include:
— A new all-ages, all-abilities play space, featuring structures of the Eastern box turtle (Tennessee’s state reptile) and the tangerine darter
— A recreation porch under the Olgiati Bridge, which planners have offered three potential uses for
— Dining options, including a restaurant on Chestnut Street and a cafe at the Chattanooga pier
— Increased greenery, providing greater shade while still accommodating large events
— Traffic-calming measures along Riverfront Parkway
(READ MORE: $15 million may go to downtown Chattanooga’s riverfront revamp)
“Our overall goal is to really use this space 365 days a year,” River City Co. President and CEO Emily Mack said in an interview. “So, it’s really important to us that we’re able to accommodate all of our beloved signature events that are so near and dear to Chattanooga, but also to add features and amenities and comfort and new recreation and play features for everyone.”
The Evolving Our Riverfront Parks project, of which the reimagined waterfront is part, stems from the One Riverfront plan, Mack said. In gathering community input for the One Riverfront plan, planners “heard loud and clear that those riverfront parks are beautiful, but they’re not necessarily comfortable,” Mack said, adding that those parks are not always places residents want to spend time.
For J Alexander, a gardener at Reflection Riding and yoga instructor, the riverfront as it exists now is a place that he passes through while traversing the riverwalk, but it is not a place he typically stops and hangs out, he said in an interview. The reimagined design depicted in the plan could make the riverfront a destination, Alexander said. And, as a Highland Park resident, he would be more apt to go to the riverfront instead of crossing the river to go to Coolidge Park.
(READ MORE: Walnut Street Bridge closing: How to cross the Tennessee River on bike, foot or shuttle)
Carrie Lightfoot liked the design’s proposed features for play and relaxation, the Tennessee Aquarium employee said in an interview. Lightfoot’s family is from Chattanooga but resides in Atlanta, and they say Chattanooga is not as open as Atlanta. The redesigned riverfront has so much to offer that it would make the family want to come home more so than now, Lightfoot said.
The riverfront is a part of Chattanooga that needs more beautification, infrastructure and things for people to do, according to Gunner Beasley, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student.
“It’s pretty vast and open, and it feels kind of harsh when you’re out there, especially when it’s hot,” Beasley said in an interview.
Beasley liked the proposed safety features along the road and the play structures, he said. While Beasley did not see anything that he disliked in the plan, he suggested the plan could feature more public restrooms and shaded places to sit, where there is no expectation to buy something.
“There are two restaurants, which is great — and people will use those — but not everyone wants to buy food or whatever when they go down there,” Beasley said of the riverfront plan. “So, I think some more structures for shade with chairs and stuff for people to use for free would be great.”
As the riverfront plan progresses toward completion, modifications are expected, including the landscaping, waterfront activation and other recreational opportunities, said Mack, with River City Co. Planners really need feedback on the community’s preferred use of the recreation porch, she said. The options include a pump track, a flexible-use court or multi-sport courts.
The goal is to have the design finalized by the end of May, with the construction document and project-bidding phases coming next, Mack said. Then, the goal is to have a shovel in the ground by this time next year, she said.
When the riverfront was designed in the early 2000s, Chattanooga was in a difficult place, Mack said. The design did what the city needed it to do 20 years ago, she said. It has served its purpose.
“This isn’t about a city that is coming out of substantial decline,” Mack said. “This isn’t about a city that is struggling for survival anymore. We’ve done that. Today, we have the opportunity to choose how we want to live, and that’s what this design is about.”
Contact Sam Still at sstill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6579.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Leigh Miller talks with a guest about the recreation porch area of Chattanooga’s riverfront plan during an open house at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building on March 27, 2025.