The Bend Project Update Delayed

UPDATE: Urban Story Ventures has provided a statement in regard to the April 7, 2026 City Council meeting.

They share The Bend has been in compliance with the One Westside TIF agreement and remains on target with projections for the development.

Their full statement reads:

“In response to the Council’s comments on April 7, Jimmy White, President and managing partner for Bend developer Urban Story Ventures shared the following:

“While we recently met with Councilman Elliott to share updates on the Bend and answer his questions, we did not commit to an April 7 Council presentation, though we have been working on scheduling a date when we are available. We had no knowledge of being added to the Council’s Tuesday agenda until it was shared with the media on Good Friday, April 3. Consequently, our team reached out to the City attorney and our contact in economic development to inquire about being added to the agenda without notice and confirmation from our team, and we said we were not available to present on April 7. At that point, we should not have been on the final agenda, and the Council should have been aware rather than how it played out during the meeting. We will absolutely provide an update on the Bend, but having an agreed upon date, time, and details is essential. For over a decade, we have worked with the City Council and delivered presentations and progress updates as requested, and unfortunately, this time we were added to a Council agenda without our knowledge and without any details or direction leading up to the meeting. We look forward to sharing exciting updates on the Bend’s progress at a future meeting to be confirmed with our team and the City.”

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A scheduled update on The Bend, one of the region’s largest riverfront redevelopment projects, left city council members frustrated Tuesday.

The project, led by Urban Story Ventures, aims to transform former industrial land on Chattanooga’s Westside into a mixed-use district featuring housing, retail, offices, and public space. 

The project has been previously approved in past years and council members had expected a detailed progress update during the Economic Development Committee meeting.

However, the group behind the project was not prepared to present, leaving council members without the anticipated update. 

The presentation has now been pushed back to a later date. 

Council members expressed clear frustration over the lack of progress information on a project that carries significant public interest.