The Chattanooga Design Studio has big plans for the Wheland Foundry
Commuters from Lookout Mountain to downtown are used to seeing Wheland Foundry rising on their left, iconic but empty. Trespassers have seen the structure floating above them, dim and airy as Monet’s Gare Saint-Lazare.
With the extension of the Riverwalk, people are getting a closer look, both at the old foundry and the active industrial site next door. But that’s just the beginning of bigger changes, according to Chattanooga Design Studio’s executive director, Eric Myers.
Working with Common Ground Urban Design + Planning and Noell Consulting Group, along with numerous citizen stakeholders, Chattanooga Design Studio has developed a comprehensive vision for the South Broad district. From the Tennessee River and the Wheland Foundry property, the action plan extends east to The Howard School’s property, and is bounded on the south by Chattanooga Creek and the north by I-24.
The plan as it stands now includes better connectivity for foot, bike and auto traffic; a variety of housing for various income levels; public spaces for play and contemplation; and economic development from light industry to recreation.
The plan was inspired by Howard School student Rico Weaver’s urban design ideas and is still in the conceptual stages. At every step of the process, community members, especially residents, have provided input. This past Thursday, an illustrative plan showing a block-by-block vision for the area was presented in an open forum at Calvary Chapel.
The order of work is not set and efforts to obtain buy-in are ongoing. Still, there’s a rough approach plan, east to west. First priority is making The Howard School more “campus-like,” perhaps placing an agricultural studies area on the former Poss Homes site.
In the plan, Howard becomes more walkable from all sides, with connectors to Market and 25th Street. South Market itself would be made safer for foot traffic, perhaps reduced to one lane each way and incorporating a green median.
Other aspects of the vision: a variety of residential options in Southside Gardens, including standalone houses and affordable apartments; improvements to Harris Johnson Park; and artisan and residential areas around the Foundry, which would retain its “historic character” in the neighborhood. North of the Foundry, Eric would like to see a baseball stadium. Yes, please!
“We’re an independent, nonprofit resource,” Eric says. “We can do [projects like] this better than municipalities because there’s no politicism—we have the citizens’ interests at heart—we are citizens.”
Don’t worry, commuters—try as they might, Eric and his team haven’t been able to convince the powers that be to “diet” Broad Street down to one auto lane and one bike lane each way. Though as pleasant as the district could become, slowing down to enjoy might not be a bad idea.
To stay up to date on the South Broad district plan, check in at southbroaddistrict.org.