Leaders break ground on new South Broad Lookout stadium
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – After months of debate, officials broke ground on Monday for the new home of the Chattanooga Lookouts in the South Broad District.
This is the first step in the redevelopment of 140 acres near the old U.S. Pipe and Wheland Foundry sites.
The stadium will be owned by both the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
It will be paid for by future tax revenue it generates and by a $1 million per year rental fee from the Lookouts. (you can see their financial breadown here)
Developers are counting on the stadium to anchor the larger plan that will include new homes, hotels, restaurants and office space, all tied to the Tennessee Riverwalk.
They have hired master developer Jim Irwin to oversee the construction of the entire project.
He has restored other “legacy structures” like Neuhoff in Nashville and Ponce City Market in Atlanta.
Some thoughts on the project:
“As Chattanoogans, we have many reasons to celebrate this long-awaited and historic moment: This project allows us to remake the western gateway into our city and attract over a billion dollars of new investment to a historically neglected part of town, including badly-needed new housing. We will also make history with our city’s first Community Benefits Agreement so that everyone – including Howard students and Alton Park’s legacy residents – will benefit. I ran for mayor because I believed Chattanooga could be the best city in America, but I knew at times the path forward would be winding, steep and filled with obstacles. So I am particularly proud that our persistence and determination have brought us another step toward that vision today.”
– Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly
“The Lookouts thank our amazing fans and the everyone in Chattanooga who has supported the team since we were founded in 1885. Chattanooga’s new multi-use stadium will be a unique place that blends history with modernity—an iconic venue that will set Chattanooga apart. It will be a place for all Chattanoogans to enjoy a game, concert, special event, or simply a peaceful walk around the concourse, which will be open to the public as an extension of the Tennessee Riverwalk.”
– Jason Freier, Chattanooga Lookouts Managing Owner
“This new state-of-the-art stadium in Chattanooga will put the Lookouts, and by extension the Reds, in a beautiful environment to entertain fans and prepare our players for the big leagues. We appreciate the great efforts of the Lookouts’ Jason Freier and Rich Mozingo, as well as the many city, county, and state officials who made this possible.”
– Shawn Pender, Senior Advisor to President of Baseball Ops. & GM of the Cincinnati Reds
“For two decades, this land has held the potential to serve Chattanooga in a unique way that showcases our city’s proud manufacturing history while embracing our exciting future. We are grateful to have partners like Jim Irwin and Jason Freier, who also saw this property’s potential and have worked so hard to turn our collective dreams into reality.”
– Andy Stone, Partner at Perimeter Properties
“From the first time I visited the former U.S. Pipe and Wheland Foundries in 2021 I recognized this site had the potential to be transformed into an authentic and unique place where every Chattanoogan will want to watch live events, meet for a meal, go to work, enjoy the outdoors, and even find a home. It checks every box to become something spectacular. The site’s raw characteristics—from its enormous unimpeded indoor spaces to the Tennessee Riverwalk that runs through it—make it ideal for adaptive reuse as a modern, accessible, mixed-use neighborhood that will come to be known as The Foundries District.”
– Jim Irwin, CEO of New City Properties
