A hotel, residential and parking deck and possible new greenway will be part of the redevelopment of the nine-acre Eureka Foundry.
The brick foundry, that also includes some wooden buildings, was started in the mid-1880s and only recently shut down as a foundry.
A rezoning of the property goes before the Planning Commission this month.
It is located at W. Main Street and Reggie White Boulevard.
Lee Helena of Riverside Development said, "The current zoning will not allow for redevelopment of a dense mixed use area to support the revival of the area consistent with both The Bend and the Westside Evolves projects."
He said Smith Gee Studios, which is also working on Westside Evolves, was engaged in January "to create a masterplan that would support not only our site, but also allow for the natural expansion of development around our site.
"The design would focus intense use next to the highway and then taper the remaining toward the intersection of Reggie White Boulevard and W. Main Street."
He said the plan is to divide the large property into four distinct city blocks "and provide a viable hotel site that can support the expansion of the Chattanooga Conference Center."
Mr. Helena said one focus is creating a new greenway from the riverfront to Finley Stadium."
He said another aim is to mitigate the extreme noise from Highway 27 that currently exceeds acceptable levels for uses such as hotels and residential.
Mr. Helena cited a need for some environmental remediation.
One plan is to rehabilitate existing wood structures "as part of our effort to celebrate the history of the site."
He said multiple structured parking decks would also serve Finley Stadium, which he said currently has fewer than 2,000 spaces available. He said 8,000 are needed for large events.