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There’s been lots of talk about The Bend development lately — from bringing in a new downtown marina + 10-story tower to creating lots of local jobs.
We’re breaking down the latest news surrounding Chattanooga’s 20-year major development project, all in one place.
Possible marina
- Urban Story Ventures recently bought an adjacent riverfront parcel with hopes to rezone it for a new downtown marina.
- It’s just one idea for the area, and not set in stone — aka, don’t get too excited yet.
- While downtown currently hosts a small marina at Ross’s Landing + boat slips for residents at Cameron Harbor, this would add more boat space and “bring people to the river.”
- The Bend developers have a goal to redo the entire Riverfront area at the former Alstom site to give people greater access to the river.
10-story tower
- Today, the Alstom site developer will seek approval for a 10-story office tower at The Bend development.
- If approved, the structure will be the tallest office structure that Chattanooga has seen in 42 years — the last was Liberty Tower on Chestnut Street
- The tower is set to include river views, rooftop amenities, and a courtyard in front of the building for possible restaurant seating.
- While the developer has letters of intent from several potential tenants, the names have not yet been released — though they include both local + out-of-town companies.
Novonix
- Novonix — a battery materials maker — is another Bend addition at the former Alstom plant.
- The expansion for Novonix, which currently employs ~20 employees at its office in Chattanooga, will create ~290 more local jobs.
- Beyond Novonix, the development is set to create even more jobs through new medical buildings + other offices.
What else could The Bend contain? While nothing is concrete yet, plans for the neighborhood development include manufacturing, housing, hotels, offices, a canal, a food hall, a 5,000-seat music venue + recording studio, child care center, and more.
