Preserve Chattanooga has reached the next major milestone in the development of Chattanooga’s new Historic Preservation Plan after bringing community members together for a public workshop focused on the city’s preservation priorities, challenges, and opportunities.
The plan will be Chattanooga’s first comprehensive historic preservation plan since 1977 and is intended to serve as a long-term blueprint for preserving and enhancing the buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural sites that help define the city’s character.
The Aug. 24 public workshop at the Chattanooga Public Library marked the third major phase of a multi-step planning process led by Preserve Chattanooga and its consulting team. Earlier work included research and analysis of existing policies, historic districts, and processes, focus groups, and a community-wide public opinion survey conducted this spring and summer.
That survey offered an early look at how residents view preservation in Chattanooga. Respondents overwhelmingly indicated that historic preservation is important to the city’s future and that historic buildings and sites contribute to Chattanooga’s unique character. Growth and development pressures emerged as the greatest perceived threat to historic places, while respondents also identified opportunities to better represent architectural resources, historic landscapes, and Native American and African American heritage through future preservation efforts.
“Chattanooga has changed dramatically since our last preservation plan was adopted nearly 50 years ago, which makes it especially important that we take a thoughtful, comprehensive look at what preservation should mean for our city today and in the decades ahead,” said Todd Morgan, Executive Director of Preserve Chattanooga. “This process is about listening first, understanding what people value, where they see challenges, and how preservation can remain part of Chattanooga’s growth, rather than something that happens separately from it.”
During the workshop, participants reviewed findings from the planning process to date and discussed potential preservation strategies in areas including public education and outreach, historic resource inventories, National Register nominations, historic zoning, and preservation incentives.
Feedback gathered during the workshop will inform the next phase of the project: testing potential concepts and strategies before preparing a formal Preservation Plan draft.
“Our goal is not simply to produce a document,” Morgan said. “We want to create a practical roadmap that helps Chattanooga make informed decisions about the places that matter to our community and ensures that historic buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural landscapes continue to be part of the city’s story as it grows.”
To learn more about Preserve Chattanooga and the Historic Preservation Plan project, visit www.preservechattanooga.com/plan.
The public workshop document is available at this link.