Where do we go from here? In the early 1980s local leaders asked themselves that challenging question. From the Moccasin Bend Task Force, Chattanooga Venture, Vision 2000, and other endeavors, a public-private planning process proved to be the catalyst for a real, tangible renaissance. A quarter century later, with a gleaming riverfront, revitalized neighborhoods, and a major automobile manufacturer poised to invest millions at Enterprise South Industrial Park, the question may be the same, but the implications are quite different.
Five years from now, in 2013, Chattanooga and Hamilton County will be different. The lives of every individual will be touched in some way by decisions made today.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), himself a former mayor of Chattanooga, sees the future in capable hands and points to lessons learned. “What I will tell you is that local officials and community leaders should decide what Chattanooga and Hamilton County want to be in 2013. If you think about where we were 20 years ago from the standpoint of nothing going on, it was ‘deader than 4 o’clock.’ There wasn’t much happening, and community leaders came together and created a visioning process. Now, we have achieved more than was ever thought possible, and based on that foundation, we can embrace a whole new level as a community and a region, again more than we had dreamed of. This is not a time to rest on our laurels, but to move ahead while we have the wind at our backs.”
A comprehensive visioning process – a proven model for progressive planning – is something that community leaders already agree should take place. Establishing priorities and executing consistently will continue to deliver results which benefit everyone. However, along with opportunity come challenge, responsibility, and stewardship. Identifying these clearly is the essence of delivering a strong, vibrant community and region to generations which follow.
“I see a choice,” comments Councilwoman Sally Robinson. “There are two Chattanoogas that could come out of this. One is a Chattanooga that follows the planning that we have used so successfully in the past for growth to balance commercial development with neighborhoods, recreation, families, and to enhance outdoor space for public use. The second Chattanooga is one in which we have failed to plan for growth and end up with crowded roads, overbuilt suburbs, traffic jams, inadequate infrastructure, and a decline in the quality of our lives.”
Robinson’s warning is being taken to heart as the wheels of progress turn. Dealing with topics related to controlled growth, such as road construction, sewer lines, public transportation, green space, job creation and workforce training, economic opportunity, and more may seem a daunting task. However, the long journey begins with a single step. That step is a vision.
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce chief executive Tom Edd Wilson captures a vision for all of Chattanooga and its environs. “My vision is that our area economy will continue to grow at a faster rate,” he says. “Higher-paying jobs will become more plentiful, and our citizens will achieve greater prosperity. At the same time, more people will think of Chattanooga as an ideal place to live, and our population will continue to expand. With these opportunities will also come the challenges of how we can manage growth so we can preserve the quality of life that makes Chattanooga special, as well as how we support our schools in providing more and more people who are better trained for high-skill jobs. I think we will find a way to manage both of these challenges, and in my vision, we will continue to be a model for smart growth.”
Burgeoning industry with announcements by Volkswagen of its intent to build a $1 billion manufacturing facility here and the stability of industrial giants Alstom and Westinghouse, which have both announced major investments, signify a sense of urgency in supporting new and existing industry region-wide with a trained and skilled workforce. Executive and production jobs will require greater investment and commitment to public education.
According to Joe Ferguson, chairman of the Electric Power Board (EPB) and a leader in special projects with the Enterprise Center, the region may see population and job growth of about two percent during the next five years. “I took the numbers from July of 2000 to July of 2007 and looked at increases in population and jobs in Chattanooga and Hamilton County,” he comments. “What I came up with is that in five years we should be able to look at doubling the average increase we have seen in that seven-year period, which was just under one percent growth. I think that if you look five years out we could see a significant number of people moving into Hamilton County. With a two percent increase over that previous seven-year period, that is growth of 30,000 people and about 10,000 plus jobs. That is a guess on my part based on what we know.”
Ferguson shares the concerns of other community leaders in considering the transportation infrastructure. Travel time by car on I-75 between Chattanooga and Atlanta is already lengthening. The CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads are moving freight as rapidly as they can, and over-the-road carriers will have more tractor-trailers on the highways. Referencing an $8 million environmental impact study, he believes that high-speed commuter rail transportation is coming.
Four priorities for Ferguson are straightforward. First is continuing to expand the retention of our area’s young people and promote the family. Encouraging and supporting entrepreneurs in small businesses is second. Third is the continuing cooperation of city and county officials in planning the future. Fourth is working toward an atmosphere of gentility and being a welcoming community to one another and to newcomers.
Quality of life and economic opportunity feed a climate of gentility, and Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey has long championed improved public education as the foundation for both of these. He sees a community with tremendous economic potential.
“I think there will be a visioning process for the community,” he remarks. “The basic difference between now and what we did in the 1980s is that we had high unemployment and high interest rates then. We were losing jobs, and our downtown area was rundown. This time the visioning process is a little bit different. We have more to work with, but it gives us a different set of problems and outcomes.”
With his focus on education in mind, Mayor Ramsey has already begun a planning process to achieve results. “I have asked the county commission and the school board to get together and take a look at what we are doing now. There will be more to come in making sure what we are doing is the right thing to prepare young people to get an education and then get a job. I’m talking about high school, two-year and four-year degrees, and beyond. We have got to meet the needs of new and existing industry. What stands out the most to me is that we can convince students and parents to work to get a good education. Chattanooga is the hub of this region, and employers will look to the best trainable, educated, and skilled workforce they can find.”
Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield has spent much of his professional life engaged in the visioning and planning process. He has actually joked with Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam that the scenic city is hot on the heels of our neighbor to the northeast. In a few years, Littlefield asserts, Chattanooga will be the third largest city in Tennessee.
“We are starting to travel down the visioning road right now,” he says. “I have done that as part of my career for a long, long time. Back in the 1980s, we dreamed of putting Chattanooga on the short list of progressive cities. Now, in five years we will still be growing overall and growing a middle class which is an economic factor that we have been hoping for. We need to envision ourselves as a major regional center, not as large as Atlanta and not that we want to be that size, but we have the opportunity to build a much higher quality environment with better connections to surrounding communities and fewer problems with traffic and such that have tended to haunt the city of Atlanta. We need to make sure we avoid the mistakes that were made when Atlanta went through its growth cycle in the 1950s.”
Littlefield sees Chattanooga as facing a slate of “good problems,” and he looks forward to the challenges. He notes that it is incumbent on leaders to join hands and work to ensure that common infrastructures like roads and sewers are of such quality that they are not an impediment to growth and that growth is accomplished with quality of life and livability in mind.
A crucial component in making a great community and region is quality of life, and Bob Doak of the Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau sees clearly that the amenities offered here are collectively tremendous assets.
“I always like to talk about why anyone would want to live in a city that is not attractive,” Doak reasons. “Our recent boost has reinvigorated a passion for the city. We believe in the tourism industry and that it will continue to play a vital role in attracting people to visit our community and relocate here. As a community, we have an unbelievable collection of man-made and God-given attractions. We need to make sure that the shine stays on everything.”
In assessing the experiences of other cities which have seen tremendous growth opportunities, one thing is clear to the Chamber’s Wilson. “We can’t fully comprehend the kind of impact Volkswagen will have on our community. From the international publicity that the project will generate to the small businesses that will grow through the direct and indirect impact of the project, Volkswagen’s investment will create opportunity throughout our local economy.”
With the Volkswagen commitment, existing business and industry will increase in importance in the days to come, and the challenges inherent with growth will be confronted head-on. Councilwoman Robinson sees tomorrow taking shape through that proven planning and visioning process which she simply calls the “Chattanooga way.”