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Excitement Mounts in Chattanooga As VW Plant Here Looks More Likely

Volkswagen gets one step closer to choosing its new plant location.

Chattanooga's Enterprise South Industrial Park is competing with sites in Michigan and Alabama.

VW officials met today in Germany, but put off that decision until next week.

Now it seems to come down to who offers the best incentives...

Michigan is still raising money, and Alabama's land is cheaper than ours.

But Chattanooga has easy access to interstates and rail lines.

UTC Economics Professor Bruce Hutchinson says, "It's somewhat like buying a car, where you're trading in another car. Just because somebody gives you a really high price on your trade in doesn't mean the bottom line is the best deal for you."

So far...Chattanooga and Hamilton County have invested nearly $10 million in the Enterprise South property.

Meanwhile, www.southernautocorridor.com sites more than one source saying Volkswagen has been thinking about two separate plants all along...one likely here in Chattanooga and the other in Huntsville.As the possibility looks more certain the excitement mounts.

It's news that makes Chattanoogans think more people may be living the good life here soon.

Ginger Taylor, Chattanooga Resident, "I think it would help out the economy here in Chattanooga."

Harold Wright, "I can't wait to see it happen."

It's looking more and more certain that Chattanooga will get a Volkswagen's engine plant while Huntsville gets the main plant.

Wright, "Anything that would help get more jobs in this area would do wonderful for the area. I'm excited about it myself."

Charlotte Mabry Realtor with Keller Williams says, "Chattanooga needs some excitement I think right now."

Mabry says that excitement alone pays off.

"The positive thoughts hopefully will trickle down to action," she says.

Action that she says would ignite Chattanooga's economy starting with the housing market.

We caught up with her as she showed one of 25 houses for sale on Lookout Mountain right now.

Mabry, "Our housing market right now is pretty much like a parking lot. There are lots of people sitting in the parking lot and no cars can move out of the parking lot so nothing is selling. There are lots of buyers out there today but they're just all trapped in houses they can't sell either."

She says the new plant is just what we need to get things moving in the right direction.

Mabey, "Having this opportunity I think will make people perceive, hey this market is even better and the opportunities are really positive and I think help people's positive thoughts about our housing situation because sometimes negative thoughts bring about negative response even though it's really not that bad."

Mabry adds the trickle down effect would boost commercial real estate, increase construction and raise the sale of housing related goods.

She says even tourism would benefit from folks coming in to build the plant.