Hawk Hill owner River City Company is beginning to explore design ideas for the 14-acre site of AT&T Field, which the nonprofit could take back from the city since plans are in motion for a new stadium in Southside Chattanooga.
The current stadium could be demolished in fall 2026, and Dawn Hjelseth of River City said her team will lose no time ushering in the Hill’s next life as a village of homes, stores and restaurants, with extra importance on its role as a hilltop park with city views.
Ms. Hjelseth, vice president of marketing and communications, told the Civitan Club on Friday that the rather closed-off property will be unlocked to be explored and enjoyed by Chattanoogans, it will be reconnected to the Tennessee River and to downtown but further protected from Highway 27.
Ms. Hjelseth said a request for information earlier this spring will characterize a request for proposals later this year, and there may be more than one developer to win bids. Analyses of the site and the real estate market have recommended trails, sidewalks, a hotel and a parking garage within the hill.
“People want to live in downtown,” Ms. Hjelseth said. “They really, really do.”
“There is demand for this and we see it as being successful.”
She referenced Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s concern that teachers, firefighters and police officers have been priced out of many city ZIP codes.
“We are behind in housing downtown,” Ms. Hjelseth said. “It’s a matter of supply and demand.”
A member of the audience voiced that Warehouse Row has “not blossomed” as many would wish, challenging the idea that more downtown retail will bear fruit. Ms. Hjelseth said Sarah Matson, its new senior director of Economic Development will support downtown in many ways including retail recruitment for the entire footprint.
Hawk Hill was part of the Kirkman Technical School campus, which closed in 1991. It was purchased by River City Company in 1994 to become the site of a new Lookouts stadium, which opened in 2000 after Engel Stadium began showing its age, Ms. Hjelseth said. Other connected acreage became the Creative Discovery Museum and surrounding parking lots.