After complaints the public was being left out of the planning process, the Chattanooga City Council decided to give people more opportunity to learn about a proposed Medal of Honor heritage center at Coolidge Park.
The park, located on the north shore of the Tennessee River downtown, is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Charles Coolidge.
Ann Coulter, a North Shore resident and urban planning professional, said she feels strongly more input is needed on the proposal for one of Chattanooga's "best-loved parks."
"I believe most of this happened under most people's radar," Coulter said in a phone interview Wednesday. "That's an awful lot of heavily used land."
Earlier this year, officials with the Charles H. Coolidge Heritage Center, located at Northgate Mall, approached the council and the Hamilton County Commission about leasing about 1 acre of park space adjacent to Tremont Street for $1 a year for 99 years.
The plan called for building a two-story building, measuring 6,800 square feet, near the Tremont Street cul-de-sac.
The lease site, according to the planning commission case report, measures 2.25 acres and stretches between Tremont Street and the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge.
Retired Maj. Gen. Bill Raines, chairman of the heritage center board, described the project as positive and "visionary."
The organization plans to release more information about its heritage center plans in the near future, he said.
On May 9, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency recommended the lease plan for approval by the City Council.
When the matter came before the council Tuesday, a number of council members said they wanted to slow things down a little bit, citing residents' concerns that the process had bypassed the public.
Councilman Jerry Mitchell, who represents the district where the park is located, said he had received "a lot of communications from folks in this district and around the city" who feel more public input is needed before making that decision.
"I tend to agree with that, although I love the idea of honoring Mr. Coolidge," Mitchell said.
Instead of authorizing Mayor Andy Berke to negotiate and execute the lease as planned, the council voted 9-0 only to authorize him to negotiate the lease. The agreement must come before the council again for final approval.
Councilman Larry Grohn said lack of information might have fueled some opposition to the project and that "we need to do a better job of getting the word out there and having an open discussion."
Some residents thought the project put "the cart before the horse,"said Council Chairman Moses Freeman, citing their concerns over whether the Charles H. Coolidge Heritage Center could raise the money to do anything with the property and if the city could end the lease if organizers fail to build the center.
"I think we are all aware of the recent failures with museums around here, and we want to prevent that from happening again," Mitchell said.
While Mitchell did not name any museum, the highly publicized financial collapse of the long-struggling Chattanooga History Museum occurred only four months ago.
Coulter voiced satisfaction with the council's decision to delay final approval on the lease agreement, citing the possibility of more public input.
"Right now we need to get public input," Berke agreed Wednesday.
Mitchell told RPA Executive Director John Bridger he was told a couple of public meetings held in early June had been given short notice.
Bridger could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.