On Nov. 15, I attended a presentation by the Scenic Land Company regarding the proposed Chattanooga Village Development. The presentation was very enticing as is the case when someone is trying to sell an idea or product. But then I had thoughts.
I thought about how much traffic and noise increased on 153 when the Oak Park Town Center and the Fountains were built; about numerous vacant store fronts not only on 153 but in Northgate Mall, on Hixson Pike going toward Lakesite and on Dayton Boulevard from 153 to Red Bank: and about vacant land stripped bare that still remains on 153 and behind Northgate awaiting development.
Seems there’s a pattern of build it, use it for a few years, then abandon it to deteriorate. Is the future Hixson to be a mass of abandoned deteriorating retail space? Wouldn’t it be better if the Chattanooga Village was a development of garden homes surrounded by greenways, trees and hiking/biking trails that blended with the contour of the land – a natural oasis close to the retail already on 153? Tenants may not choose to locate in older malls or buildings but they will if new ones aren’t an option and the older ones are properly refurbished. Look at downtown.
Evelyn Grable
Hixson