(The Center Square) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Chattanooga has changed since he began visiting as a 10-year-old and more change is coming thanks in part to a $15 million investment from the state.
The governor was joined by city and state leaders at a ceremony touting the project which will include a new signature playground, food and beverage options, a pier cafe and lawn spaces for events to the city’s Riverfront Park.
“There will be economic activity simply because of the investment in this park that will transform the riverfront of Chattanooga,” Lee told reporters after the ceremony. “When there’s economic activity, the tax base is increased, the services to the community are increased and frankly, Chattanoogans benefit whenever there is economic activity. So this is an investment in the people of Chattanooga, the people of this community and the surrounding counties, this is an investment in their future and we think it is money well-spent.”
Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2007-19, said the riverfront was nothing but a “craggly walkway down to nothing” and parking lots with litter blowing across them when the Tennessee Aquarium was built in 1992.
The conversion of Riverfront Parkway to a pedestrian-friendly roadway paved the way for more development downtown, including the expansion of the Tennessee Aquarium, the Hunter Museum, and the Creative Discovery Museum.
Chattanooga was named the first National Park City in North America and only third in the world. The designation is not tied to the U.S. National Park Service but is a recognition from the National Park City Foundation.
Lee told the large crowd gathered he has noticed the changes over the years.
“This is a remarkable city,” Lee said. “It’s been wonderful for me from a kid to a governor to watch the transformation of Chattanooga to be a city that people from all across America know about and are understanding in greater ways than ever before. This is a really cool place to be.”
The projected cost is $54 million. River City Company, the nonprofit known as the “economic development engine” of the city that works with government and the private sector, said a capital campaign seeking private partners will begin in the near future.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2026.
