Developer White Favors Moving Hospital, Gun Range Off Moccasin Bend; Says Chattanooga Bypass Needed

Developer Jimmy White said Thursday he favors moving the Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital and the police gun range off the historic Bend.

Mr. White, who is planning a huge development just across from Moccasin Bend, said he would like to see water taxis taking people from The Bend project to Moccasin Bend.

He told members of the Rotary Club, "It would be amazing to see Moccasin Bend become a National Park."

The speaker, asked about increasing traffic problems, said there is a need for a Chattanooga Bypass. He said a bypass "is long overdue."

He said one route that has been mentioned would go through Lookout Mountain and connect with Interstate 59.

Mr. White said that now a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district has been approved for The Bend and the Westside Evolves area that work can begin in earnest at The Bend.

He said work may start as soon as next month on opening up Main Street, that he noted has long been fenced off so there is no public access to the river there.

Mr. White said Main Street all the way to the Tennessee River will be one of the principal streets of The Bend.

He said The Bend will include several tall buildings offering Class A office space. He said Chattanooga has been missing that component for several decades.

Mr. White said it will also include a large music venue as well as a Canal District centered on an actual canal that will be created.

There will be 14 acres of city parks as well as 300 boat slips.

Mr. White said The Bend will include over five miles of new streets and 28 new city blocks lined with a mix of office, retail and residential. There will be over 1,800 trees planted at the former Alstom site.

The Novonix firm occupies the Big Blue building at the former Alstom and has a $100 million operation with 400 employees. It plans to invest $1 billion more.

The speaker said Chattanooga "is currently trending" and city leaders need to take advantage of the opportunity to lure more companies and corporate headquarters here. He said Chattanooga has quality of life, beautiful scenery and "an unmatched geographical location."

Mr. White said Chattanooga has been called the Scenic City, Gig City, Freight Alley, and a retirement haven. He said, "Maybe it is all of the above."

He said his Urban Story Ventures started in 2013 and has grown to 61 employees with three million square feet of space. One of the early acquisitions was the Edney Building that was bought from TVA with zero tenants. He said his firm tapped into the Enterprise Zone to help fill up that building.

It acquired a sprawling cold storage facility on King Street and turned it into King Street Station that now has a number of tenants. Nearby is the Moxy Hotel, which was the fourth Moxy in the U.S.

He said his firm recently bought the Valleybrook golf course and sold the historic Dome Building.