Hoar Construction has broken ground on a new 54,000-square-foot rehabilitation hospital in Ooltewah that is expected to open in spring 2027.
The inpatient facility is being developed by The Sanders Trust, with Lifepoint Health as owner in partnership with CommonSpirit Health. Hoar is serving as general contractor for the project.
The hospital will feature 40 beds, including 12 dedicated to patients with brain injuries. Planned amenities include a courtyard with recreational spaces such as bocce ball and pickleball courts, a chipping green, an activities of daily living suite designed to help patients transition back to independent living and multiple therapy gymnasiums. A separate cafeteria will serve staff, patients and visitors.
According to project officials, the facility is designed to expand access to rehabilitation services in the Chattanooga region and support patient recovery and independence.
Hoar is using technologies including OpenSpace AI and building information modeling to improve project coordination and construction efficiency. The site’s location in a wetland area requires extensive preparation work, including importing fill material to create the building pad and careful environmental planning.
Other project partners include Earl Swensson Associates as architect, Enfinity Engineering as mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer and Crunk Engineering as civil engineer.
Hoar has completed nearly $1.5 billion in healthcare projects over the past decade and has previously partnered with Lifepoint Health on rehabilitation and hospital projects in Georgia.
Preservation Plan process begins
Preserve Chattanooga has launched a community-wide planning effort to create Chattanooga’s first citywide historic preservation plan in nearly 50 years.
The Chattanooga Historic Preservation Plan is intended to guide efforts to identify, protect and celebrate the city’s historic and cultural resources, including neighborhoods, landmarks, landscapes and historic buildings. The initiative is being led by preservation consulting firm Walker Collaborative in partnership with Thomason and Associates and Common Ground.
A major focus of the planning process is public participation. Residents across Hamilton County are being encouraged to complete an anonymous community survey by June 30. The survey, which takes about seven minutes to complete, will help establish priorities for issues such as local historic districts, preservation incentives, design review and neighborhood conservation strategies.
Preserve Chattanooga Executive Director Todd Morgan says the effort provides an opportunity for the community to evaluate its historic resources and consider how future growth can be balanced with preservation goals.
The city’s previous preservation plan was completed in 1977 for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. Preservation advocates say Chattanooga’s rapid development and population growth make a new community-driven strategy especially timely.
The planning process is funded through support from the Lyndhurst Foundation and the Tennessee Historical Commission.
More information about the project, including the community survey and the 1977 preservation plan, is available through Preserve Chattanooga’s planning website.
Ground is broken on Somerville Cottages
A new housing development in South Chattanooga is expected to bring 160 homes to the area as part of a $65 million investment aimed at addressing the city’s shortage of affordable homeownership opportunities.
Somerville Cottages, a 10-acre, cottage-court-style community on West 35th Street, will feature single-family homes starting at $219,000. The development is located near St. Elmo, Erlanger Park and the planned extension of the Chattanooga Riverwalk.
Developer Adam Kinsey says the project is designed to help fill Chattanooga’s “missing middle” housing gap by offering attainable homes close to downtown. The community will include homes ranging from 640 to 1,400 square feet organized around shared green spaces.
The project, developed by The Kinsey Company and built by Collier Construction, is expected to take three to four years to complete. Thirteen homes have already been finished, with three sold and three more under contract.
Somerville Cottages will offer several financing options for qualifying buyers, including zero-down-payment programs and up to $15,000 in down payment assistance through a preferred lender. The development is also part of broader investment activity along the South Broad corridor.
District 7 Councilwoman Raquetta Dotley, who has purchased a home in the development, calls the project a pathway to homeownership and community growth in South Chattanooga.
Hamilton Co. property sales top $373 million
Property sales in Hamilton County totaled more than $373.2 million in May, the monthly Sales & Mortgages Report released by Hamilton County Register of Deeds Marc Gravitt reveals.
The county recorded 1,304 deeds and 1,365 deeds of trust during the month, while mortgage activity totaled more than $545.3 million.
The largest transaction recorded in May was a $12.95 million sale involving property at 1701 Concord Road N. in Chattanooga. Other major transactions included a $10.2 million sale involving multiple parcels, a $9.07 million sale involving multiple parcels, and a $6.8 million transaction at 7333 McCutcheon Road in Chattanooga.
Rounding out the county’s top 10 transactions were sales of $4 million at 1515 Edgewood Circle, $3.89 million involving multiple parcels, $3.75 million at 5584 Tallant Road, $3.14 million at 1320 49th St. E., $2.7 million at 1510 Sunset Road and $2.65 million involving multiple parcels.
The county collected $1.38 million in conveyance tax from property sales and $623,540 in mortgage tax during the month.