East Ridge to see biggest investment ever with new soccer stadium

Bob Martino, the owner of the Chattanooga Red Wolves soccer team, discusses the new soccer complex he plans to build in East Ridge .
Bob Martino, the owner of the Chattanooga Red Wolves soccer team, discusses the new soccer complex he plans to build in East Ridge .

As the city of East Ridge works toward $2.3 million in improvements to the Camp Jordan athletic complex, a new player plans to build a brand-new soccer stadium near the Interstate 75 exit, turning the entire area into a destination.

In addition to the 5,500-seat facility, the owner of the Red Wolves soccer team is planning an array of restaurants, apartments, hotels, condominiums and stores to help draw fans.

Bob Martino, the owner of Star Community Builders in Park City, Utah, and owner of the USL soccer team in Chattanooga, said he plans to eventually build or attract up to $125 million of entertainment, housing and hotel projects on the roughly 100 acres he has under contract to buy along Interstate 75 and Interstate 24.

Martino's plan includes 400 apartment and condominium units, 375 hotel rooms, 475,000 square feet of commercial space including the stadium, and a network of walking and nature trails that could connect under I-75 with Camp Jordan on the other side of the freeway from the site.

photo Plans for Red Wolves Stadium in East Ridge. / Contributed Renderings via Waterhouse Public Relations

"We're really focused on a community that you can work and play in with access to Camp Jordan and the visibility of Interstate 75," Martino said. "The objective is to create an area that thrives when there are soccer games, but also is very attractive on other days to walk in a pedestrian-friendly area with options for lunch or dinner or other recreation opportunities."

The project, as proposed, will be the biggest investment ever in East Ridge and is projected to create up to 1,200 jobs and generate up to $7 million of additional tax revenue. It is located within the border zone in East Ridge which allows the city to recapture the growth in sales tax collections within the zone and then plow those funds back into infrastructure and community assets, including the planned $6 million stadium.

Martino said engineers are working to develop a plan for the site, some of which is in the floodway, and to create a pedestrian connection with Camp Jordan on the other side of I-75 where Martino is also building a training facility.

Martino said he considered several sites in and around Chattanooga but picked the vacant property on the southwest corner of I-75 and I-24 because of its access, visibility and availability.

"East Ridge has never experienced an investment on this level that benefits our community in so many ways," said East Ridge Mayor Brian Williams. "Bob Martino could have put this stadium and development wherever he wanted, but he chose our community, and we are so appreciative."

Martino said the site could be accessed on North Mack Smith Road off of Spring Creek Road near the Parkridge East Hospital, or from Mack Smith Road off of Ringgold Road near the I-75 interchange.

"Being right on I-75, we get a lot of commuters from the north going down to Florida and they find this as a good midpoint and an easy and attractive place to stop off at with hotel accommodations, dining experiences and a fun environment," he said.

"I have been waiting for over 25 years to see this land developed," said Hamilton County Commissioner Tim Boyd, who represents East Ridge. "This will be a destination location that hundreds of thousands travelers along I-75 will visit."

Email Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com.

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