Master Plan Shows Future Development of Wheland Foundry and U.S. Pipe Property

Chattanooga has shown the nation it can go from the so-called “Dirtest City in America”…to a well-planned and desirable community.

The growth has mostly been north and east, but now the focus is the south side.

Here’s a preview of what’s ahead for Chattanooga’s “forgotten community.”

Chattanooga leaders have discussed for years what to do the old Wheland Foundry site on South Broad. And, others agonized over the unsightly U.S. Pipe buildings that greet visitors along I-24.
The good news is there’s a master plan for that 141 acres, thanks to the Lyndhurst Foundation and a group of developers.
What’s the overview?

MIKE MALLEN  “Our vision is, from 15 years ago, when we collaborated with the city and the Lyndhurst Foundation was to find a way to make this area the next downtown.”

Mallen and his partners won the bid in bankruptcy court for the Wheland property in 2002.
They’ve cleaned it up environmentally, and then picked up the 91 acre U.S. Pipe property in 2006.
All together, Perimeter Properties now controls 141 acres for a future mixed-use development.

MIKE MALLEN, PARTNER, PERIMETER PROPERTIES “We’ve declined a series of offers from developers who wanted to put strip centers and big box stores and the things that would be obvious. We declined those offers because what we consider this site to be and what it will be is its own separate zip code.”

TDOT is already on board and supportive.

MIKE MALLEN  “As evidenced now by an interstate exit will come off at 26th street …River Walk that goes through the site which will open next month…a master plan which is a fabulous illustration of what the site is capable of being.”

The Perimenter partner donated the land for the River Walk link to downtown.

MIKE MALLEN  “We’ve never been in a hurry about this, we’re all..there are 5 partners, we’ll all from Chattanooga..we believe in Chattanooga..and we want this because it’s a gateway location to stand for something that’s going to represent a gateway to the city.”

The first phase of that project will include retail and entertainment venues.