Come November, urban planners expect to begin a multimillion dollar project aimed at revitalizing Chattanooga’s downtown riverfront, making it a park that residents use on a more daily basis.
“This is one of Chattanooga and Hamilton County’s premier, signature parks,” River City Co. President and CEO Emily Mack said of the riverfront in an interview. “When you Google Chattanooga, and you look at images, what do you see?”
Answer: the riverfront park, Mack said.
While the riverfront may be an iconic image of Chattanooga, the downtown development nonprofit River City Co. learned through community input that the park lacks comfort and is not always a place where residents want to spend time.
When downtown resident Patrick Tucker makes his way along the riverwalk through the riverfront park, he doesn’t usually stop to enjoy the space, he said by phone. The riverfront doesn’t feel like a park where one is meant to linger, whether that’s setting up for a picnic, spending time with friends or reading a book, Tucker said.