Westside One plan advances to next step
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A committee reviewed the current state of the Westside One project Thursday afternoon at Chattanooga City Hall.
The Westside One plan went in front of a TIF District Review Committee.
Their job was to determine whether or not the current tax increment financing plan and its associated economic impact plan would be able to advance forward to the next step.
During the session, Jimmy White, the President of Urban Story Ventures, the firm behind The Bends portion of the project, led the group through what will be needed to complete the project.
A rendering of an artificial canal being proposed for the future The Bends project. (Courtesy: Westside One)
White told the committee nearly five miles of new infrastructure is needed during construction of The Bends, which would require at least $200 million to complete, which would come from multiple city and city tax sources.
He said, “When we purchased this site, we started looking at the connectivity of the existing downtown core and how mission critical it is we bring this riverfront back to our city.”
The building of The Bends will be broken up into three phases.
The first two phases will be on the outside edges of The Bends property while phase three will be the middle portion of the property and plans right now include an artificial canal.
One committee member, Nadia Kain, asked White, “Is this going to be an overflow water feature from the river water, so it’s its own contained system?”
White responded, “So, it’s up to 30,000 gallons of water a month to be specific with Jesse at American Water, and it is a self-contained water feature.”
Discussion on the Westside Evolves plan was held as well, with reassurances that current residents at College Hill Courts and Gateway Towers will be assigned a case manager during future construction.
Hana Ramirez, a project manager at the Chattanooga Housing Authority, said, “The case management will work with the resident one on one to determine their needs. In terms of employment, in terms of income increases, in terms of health, and all the things the resident needs, it will be up to the resident of what they want to do.”
The committee unanimously approved the plan to go to the next step, which will be a public hearing at the Industrial Development Board next Monday.
Many were enthusiastic in their support for the plan.
Leslie Gower, another committee member said, “I would be very sad if this didn’t happen… It’s just a beautiful public-private partnership as it’s creative and innovative.”
