A astroll in solitude on a clear autumn morning, a leisurely walk arm-in-arm on a summer afternoon, a bicycle ride, a picnic lunch, and even a fishing adventure are just a few of the pleasurable activities regularly enjoyed along the banks of the Tennessee River, and the Tennessee Riverwalk which runs along this mighty waterway and through the heart of Chattanooga.
A 13-mile ribbon of walkway stretching from the Chickamauga Dam to Ross’s Landing, across the Walnut Street Bridge and to the North Shore, the Riverwalk is the connection which joins the Tennessee Riverpark system in seamless continuity with the Tennessee Aquarium, Renaissance Park, and Coolidge Park. The Riverwalk invites the city’s residents and visitors to experience the natural beauty, wildlife, and picturesque vistas along the shoreline. Dotted with green, open spaces, fishing piers, and areas to simply sit and relax, the Riverwalk has become one of Chattanooga’s treasures.
Local residents have been overlooking the Tennessee River for years, but with the creation of the Tennessee Riverpark Master Plan as developed in the mid-1980s by the Moccasin Bend Task Force and the Cambridge, Massachusetts, design firm of Carr, Lynch and Associates, the meaning of the phrase “overlooking the river” began to change.
“The master plan said a couple of things,” remembers Bill Sudderth, who led the RiverCity Company in the subsequent development effort. “It basically told us that the river which runs through Chattanooga is a special amenity, while we had always kind of looked at it as an obstacle, something to bridge over or tunnel under, or something that flooded. We considered it more problematic than anything. The truth is that unless you had a boat you couldn’t get to very many places along the Tennessee River; unlike the beach where you could walk along the coast for some distance, there were only a very few places you could get down to and touch and feel the river.”
The members of the Moccasin Bend Task Force, chaired by Rick Montague, realized very early that a meaningful study of Chattanooga and the resource of the Tennessee River had to include more than a few hundred acres on the Bend itself. A river renaissance could be achieved beginning with a comprehensive study of more than 20 miles of river front, stretching from the Chickamauga Dam to the Marion County line.
“So the plan was that the river ought to be accessible to the public,” continues Sudderth, “and that everything built on that river ought to be of the highest quality – and it shouldn’t be just a park. The park ought to be integrated with housing, retail, industrial, and commercial development, and Ross’s Landing, the point at which the river and downtown come together, should be the crown jewel of the Riverwalk, a place where very special things would happen because that is where Chattanooga started.”
Remembering the announcement of the plan, which was funded jointly by the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and the Lyndhurst Foundation, Sudderth was impressed by the size of the crowd which turned out to hear a proposal for a 20-year, 20-mile, $750 million riverfront revitalization. There was, simply, a quite audible gasp.
The Tennessee Riverpark Master Plan also made one other vital recommendation that an organization be established oversee its implementation. “It was decided that it would be called the RiverCity Company, and its people would wake up every day and figure out how to get this plan done,” says Sudderth. “Otherwise, you simply had a plan with no strategy. Instead, the plan gave us a blueprint of what needed to be done and the goals to do it and insisted there be an implementation organization with money, leadership, and a clear mission to get the Riverwalk done.”
Also in the mid-1980s, the Lyndhurst Foundation had funded a public planning project called Vision 2000, and the primary document which emerged came to be known as the community’s “commitment portfolio.” Several organizations took ownership of 40 goals which had been identified, and RiverCity shouldered the riverfront redevelopment, including the Tennessee Aquarium, along with the renovation of the Tivoli Theater.
Seven local banks and eight foundations capitalized the RiverCity Company with $10 million, and the first $2 million funded the completion of the initial section of the Riverwalk along with funds from the federal, state, and local governments, foundations, and private donors. That initial phase was completed nearly 20 years ago, from Chickamauga Dam to a 50-acre riverfront park along Amnicola Highway.
Sudderth credits Jim Bowen, who now works as Director of Special Projects at CARTA, with working tirelessly to get the master plan from the conceptual to the tangible, dealing with property owners and negotiating in numerous aspects of the development.
“The initial phase was opened in 1989 near the C.B. Robinson Bridge with picnic facilities, open space, and fishing piers. It was really critical to what we have done since, and everyone thought of the Riverwalk as a necklace along the river with jewels like the aquarium and the parks along the way,” relates Bowen. “Everyone wanted it to be a melting pot so that people from all walks of life could enjoy the riverfront. On that first segment, what we did right was make sure that everything was done to the highest standard of quality because we realized it was going to be the standard bearer for everything we did later on. Looking back, that was critical, and we had high standards in design, construction, and maintenance and upkeep with that first part. We just would not accept average. No matter how you package it, excellence shows through.”
Of course, there were those who had doubts from the beginning. Was the project simply too ambitious? Was the price too high? Why was money being given to riverfront development when funds were needed for public education and patching potholes? Would such a system of
walkways and parks be a safe environment which would attract families and recreational visitors or a haven for the criminal element? In retrospect, the riverfront development has proven to be an investment that Chattanooga simply could not afford not to make.
While the actual number of visitors to the Tennessee Riverwalk and the parks easily tops one million each year, the continuing maintenance and security of the park are shared by the city and county, which each devote more than 20 full-time employees in safety and security, upkeep and other roles.
“The early developers and people interested during those early days took trips to places that had tremendous greenway systems and saw the value of safe pedestrian walkways around significant features like rivers,” comments Larry Zehnder, Administrator of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation. “We have a very unique arrangement with the city and county each maintaining portions of the Riverwalk, and it is very cooperative. We meet on a regular basis to discuss any issues or concerns.”
“When we talk about the Riverwalk and the parks,” Zehnder continues, “the first thing that comes to my mind is the amount of usage the Riverwalk gets. Most people are pretty good about things, but there is some trash to pick up, and there are issues regarding the numbers of people out there. We have to have a peaceful coexistence between the bicyclists, pedestrians, and joggers, going fast and slow, and there have been some traffic problems. There is some signage with rules, and most people follow proper etiquette. Our rangers are out there to make sure the rules are obeyed for everybody’s benefit. One of the keys to its success is that people feel good about the Riverwalk and can go there and not experience problems because of the safe conditions.”
For those involved in more than a quarter century of planning and implementation, the Riverwalk is not only a source of civic pride but one of economic development, enhanced quality of life, and a position of prominence for the city nationwide and, in fact, around the world. The public-private partnership which fostered the riverfront renaissance and other initiatives here has become a model for cities far and wide. The energy and panache with which it has been pursued are reflected in its quality.
“A big part of the legacy of the Riverwalk is that it was something for everybody that wanted to get down to the river and put their boat in, take the kids fishing, bicycle along the river or walk or picnic,” Sudderth offers. “It proved to this community that you could do big, bold things, and there had not previously been a lot of really big plans in Chattanooga, at least in my memory.”
“This one was really about the quality of life in this community and taking it in a direction that had probably not occurred to a lot of us,” Sudderth continues, “that the river was important to us, part of our heritage, and part of our asset base. We had just never looked at it that way. During the visioning process, there was a man named Hubert Fry, who became involved. I believe he had been a former Tennessee Conservation Commissioner, and he said people wanted to get to the river and that if they could fish and walk beside it they would be better stewards of it.” As a tribute to Hubert Fry’s leadership, the fishing center on Amnicola Highway is named in his honor.
Truly, the citizens of Chattanooga and Hamilton County have taken ownership of the Riverwalk. Individuals and companies looking for a place to call home are seeking communities with a quality of life that is not merely average. The internet, cell phones, and other technology have enabled many people to do their jobs from whatever location they may choose. Those elements which make Chattanooga a great place to live serve the city and its residents in so many ways.
“With the Riverwalk, we have a leg up on a lot of communities,” Bowen adds. “Now we have a pilgrimage of planners and river activists from around the globe coming to see what we have, and Chattanooga’s river renaissance story is being told internationally. I think we started with a great plan and worked the plan. It is that simple.”
The very idea of the Riverpark system was ambitious years ago, and in itself the notion exceeded the expectations of many. Taking stock, it is easy to conclude that the project has exceeded expectations every step along the way.
“These types of facilities add so much to the environment that Chattanoogans have here, and companies come and relocate to this city because they are happy with our quality of life,” says Zehnder. “The Riverwalk is integral to the entire community, and this has been an economic investment as well. As we make this community better for citizens, we make it better for tourists, companies, and those who come to look at us. So, while there is a cost to build and maintain the facilities, the payoff is definitely there.”
Sudderth agrees. “It has succeeded way beyond expectations. I was at one of the first commission meetings after the Riverwalk opened to ask for some additional money, maybe $500,000 or so, for the next phase. One of the commissioners said that there was one thing he didn’t understand. He said, ‘Why aren’t you asking for more money than that? This has been one of the most successful things we have ever done!’ Really, the Riverwalk has done everything the planners hoped it would do.”
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, reflecting on the impact of the Riverwalk, remarks, “Twenty or more years ago, it was a big stretch, and there has been a lot of time and effort put into the project. It has been carried on and improved over time, fulfilling its mission as part of the overall quality of life in the community. The Riverwalk is absolutely an asset to our community and part of what makes Chattanooga and Hamilton County special.”
As a pure public-private success story, Chattanooga’s river renaissance is in a class by itself. The future, however, holds tremendous promise -- and the Riverwalk will be a key component of that future. Plans include an eventual extension of the walkway from the C.B. Robinson Bridge area to DuPont Park on the north shore and eventually connecting to the North Chickamauga Greenway. A section connecting to the South Chickamauga Greenway has already been completed and includes canoe ramps and dock access areas.
“We have got miles to go,” smiles Bowen. “Obviously, from Renaissance Park one of the next things is to extend on out to Moccasin Bend National Park, and they are working on that design right now. There is a lot to look forward to. You would like to think that what has been accomplished has come about through careful management and great planning. What we have so far has been wonderful, but I don’t think any of us had any idea that it could be this great. The Riverwalk has raised community pride and made us understand that we can think big and accomplish our dreams.
“The fact that Chattanooga is the fastest growing large city in Tennessee is due in part to the success of the Riverwalk and other things that make the city attractive,” Bowen continues. “Young people that are talented are deciding where they are going to live before they decide what job they are going to take. They enjoy walking and riding bikes along the river, and retired people enjoy it too. A lot of the decisions people make to live here are based on the quality of life in this community, and I couldn’t talk about this without saying how blessed we are in Chattanooga to have foundation wealth and the support of individuals like Jack Lupton that kicked us all in the pants and made us do it right. So, those foundations and individuals are heroes of the highest order. A lot of folks like me were worker bees, but it could not have been done without them.”
One thing Sudderth advocates is the formation of a Riverpark Commission which would be charged with the administration and preservation of these resources, possibly bolstered by a dedicated source of long-term funding.
“It has been proven that people will vigorously defend the Riverwalk and the parks as amenities,” he concludes. “My one concern is that it takes constant management and supervision and care, just like a child. The other part of the story is that we got off to a great running start. We need to keep it going. I would love to see us form some kind of commission that would keep this resource at a level which continues to do what it has done so far – long past all of us.”
Chattanooga is indeed a great place to live. It offers a wonderful lifestyle due in part to members of the public and private sectors that think big and exceeded expectations with the Riverwalk. As Jim Bownen notes, “Everyone thought of the Riverwalk as a necklace along the river with jewels. Everyone wanted it to be a melting pot so that people from all walks of life could enjoy the riverfront. It was going to be the standard bearer for everything we did later on.”