Homes going up in luxury neighborhood along Tennessee River
Staff photo by Abby White / John “Thunder” Thornton, left Dane Bradshaw, and Josh Cain speak during an interview. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
By David Floyd 5 min read
Dane Bradshaw, the president of Thunder Enterprises, navigated a large vehicle up what is now a bouncy, dirt road north of downtown Chattanooga, weaving around sewer mains popping up out of the ground.
Soon, this street will be paved, and the 150-acre, forested property on the Tennessee River, which used to be part of the Lupton City Golf Course, will be a 35-home neighborhood called Riverton Farms, where residential lots will range from $630,000 to $2.5 million.
“It’s just magnificent,” developer John “Thunder” Thornton, owner of Thunder Enterprises, said from the back seat about the land. “It’s got literally 200-year-old oak trees on it, and that had a lot to do with our decision to not build 300-home sites up here.”
Bradshaw drove by hardwood trees that dot the side of the road and crests a hill overlooking the waterway below. After buying the land roughly five years ago, the developers went through the exhaustive process of getting approval for what was then a much larger project totaling about 300 lots, Bradshaw said.
Staff photo by Abby White / The sign for Riverton Farms posted on Lupton Drive. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / One of the open lots at Riverton Farms. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Work trucks line a lot at Riverton Farms. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Work trucks prepare a lot to lay dirt. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Trees line a lot at Riverton Farms. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Josh Cain speaks during an interview. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / John “Thunder” Thornton speaks during an interview. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / A truck hauls supplies to a lot at Riverton Farms. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / John “Thunder” Thornton, left Dane Bradshaw, and Josh Cain speak during an interview. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Dane Bradshaw speaks during an interview. John “Thunder” Thornton and his colleagues gave a tour of his new Riverton Farms development in Chattanooga on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
At the time, they also contemplated a commercial center with some retail. The market has changed over the intervening years, Bradshaw said, and the owners determined there is now demand for larger, luxury lots.
