One would think that the authors of Downtown Plan 2025 are in agreement with the over 10,000 residents and visitors who have signed petitions opposing the approval of the Coolidge Hotel, which would sit 35 feet from the Walnut Street Bridge and rise well above its walkway.

The plan states that Coolidge Park and the Walnut Street Bridge are “immensely popular” with “residents and tourists alike” and speaks to the “beautiful topograpy” and “stunning views” of the area. The C-7 ordinance specifically addresses the protection of these “significant views and vistas.”

Yet, the North Shore planning map shows not only a massive multi-unit residential building on the hotel site, but three additional large buildings to be constructed on River Street between the Walnut Street Bridge and the Theatre Center.

Unless the Board of Zoning Appeals overturns the approval of the Coolidge Hotel, it will only be a short matter of time before the scenic beauty of the North Shore will be irreversibly damaged.

It is of utmost importance that area residents who cherish Coolidge Park and the Walnut Street Bridge attend the appeal hearing on Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m. in the City Council Building, 1000 Lindsey St.

Mary W. Hutson
mwhutson@bellsouth.net

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On Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m., the final appeal against the so called "Coolidge" hotel will take place at the city council building on Lindsey Street in downtown Chattanooga.

Please, please, please, come and show your opposition to this terrible, ugly development. Let our city officials know that you don't take this illegal and immoral project lightly. The North Shore Design Review Committee approved this project against an overwhelming tide of negative public opinion, and against cries of "illegal" from within their own ranks. They have a long and well documented history of ignoring the law, and it's time for us to hold them accountable.

There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea, and we have covered them all in great detail. We have engaged in a fight that has cost thousands of dollars in legal fees and thousands of people hours. Those hours were time that regular people like you and I have spent talking to people, working behind the scenes, calling people and gathering signatures. We have done it reluctantly. No one wants to spend money or time fighting a project which never should have been approved in the first place. The thousands of dollars we have spent on legal defense could have been spent on a much worthier cause. How many homeless people could we have fed for the money we've had to waste fighting this battle? How many school books could we have bought for poor children? How many battered mothers could we have sheltered for this money?

This coming Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m., our final appeal on the hotel development will be heard in the city council building at 1000 Lindsey Street. This recent mayoral race has brought to light the fact that a small group of very powerful, very rich and well connected people manipulate their connections, regularly give sweetheart deals to their friends, and make back room deals for profit based on the expenditure of public money and insider information.

We are appalled at the level of corruption which has been allowed to fester and grow in this town. All of us are in favor of growth and development, but the lack of oversight that exists between developers, non-profits and city officials with conflicts of interest has cast a pall over our city.

Come to the appeal if you can, and tell everyone you know who is interested to come also. We need a strong showing so that these people know we are serious.

On a personal note, I would like to ask that those of you who care, cast your vote for Ron Littlefield in the mayoral runoff next month. Ron is a good and moral man, who knows this city and it's history, and he is just the person we need to put a stop to the incestuous insider dealing that goes on behind the scenes in our city. A vote for Ann Coulter is a vote for the River City company and the greedy few who pull the puppet strings from behind the scenes. Get out and vote, and let them know that you want our honesty and transparency to be the norm, not the exception in our city government. Let them know that sweetheart deals and insider buying, selling and bidding is not the government you want for the "scenic" city.

Fil Manley
Webmaster
http://www.ilovecoolidgepark.com