Urban Story Ventures is planning a $350 million retail and residential district at the Bend, a major addition to the developer’s 120-plus-acre redevelopment of Chattanooga’s riverfront.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and could be completed by fall 2028, depending on the pace of preleasing, according to Urban Story Ventures.
The open-air district will include restaurants, shops, Class A office space and residences in a walkable setting along the Tennessee River. Urban Story Ventures is already negotiating with local, regional and national retailers, restaurants, home-goods brands, entertainment operators and other businesses, although no tenants have been announced.
Urban Story Ventures is partnering on the project with Hill Partners, a retail and mixed-use development firm founded in 1983, and Perkins&Will, an international architecture and design firm.
Urban Story Ventures and Hill Partners will lead development of the district, while Perkins&Will will oversee master planning and the architectural vision. The development will continue to follow the original plan for the Bend created by town planning firm Dover Kohl, according to Urban Story Ventures.
Urban Story Ventures estimates the new district will create more than 1,000 jobs and generate more than $100 million in gross sales.
An amphitheater from Venu Holding Corp. is also planned at the Bend.
Urban Story Ventures, based in Chattanooga, is the master developer of the Bend. The commercial real estate company develops and operates mixed-use, office, industrial and retail properties, including historic buildings and large-scale redevelopment projects.
Finley redevelopment master plan unveiled
Finley Stadium officials have unveiled a long-term master plan that calls for redeveloping portions of the stadium campus, including potentially turning part of the Gold Lot along Main Street into a mixed-use development.
Dubbed Finley 2.0, the plan also calls for strengthening connections between Finley Stadium and the First Horizon Pavilion across Reggie White Boulevard and making other improvements intended to expand use of the campus beyond sporting events.
The first phase is already moving forward with a $4.8 million BlueCross HealthyPlace grant for what officials described as a multigenerational recreational space that can be used throughout the year. The release did not provide details about the project’s design or construction timeline.
The master planning process was funded by the Benwood Foundation, Bobby Stone Foundation and Lyndhurst Foundation.
Finley officials point to legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly that will allow sales tax revenue generated by certain activities at the stadium, including parking and food and beverage sales, to help fund maintenance and capital projects. The legislation takes effect in January.
Cempa breaks ground on E. Third expansion
Cempa Community Care broke ground Aug. 21 on a new healthcare facility on East Third Street that will bring its primary care, infectious disease care, dentistry, behavioral health and pharmacy services together in one location.
The facility, which is scheduled for completion in winter 2027, is intended to expand Cempa’s capacity while allowing patients to receive multiple types of care at a single location. Cempa officials say consolidating the services will also improve coordination among its healthcare providers.
The groundbreaking coincided with the start of Cempa’s 40th anniversary celebration.
The organization was founded in 1986 as Chattanooga CARES in response to healthcare needs arising during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It has since grown into an integrated healthcare organization providing a broader range of medical services in the Chattanooga area.
Aetna Mountain trail expansion opens
The Tennessee River Gorge Trust celebrated the completion of the Aetna Mountain trail system Aug. 21 with the opening of four additional miles of multiuse trails, bringing the system to approximately eight miles.
The trust marked the opening with a ceremony at the Aetna Mountain Trailhead off River Gorge Drive, followed by a community ride and hike.
The second phase added a beginner-friendly green loop and a blue loop that climbs Aetna Mountain to the base of the bluff. The single-track trails are open to mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners and were designed to provide options for riders with a range of experience levels, including beginners and adaptive riders.
The expansion completed the Aetna Mountain Trail Master Plan developed by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The plan grew from efforts to create sustainable mountain biking opportunities for riders of varying abilities in the Tennessee River Gorge.
The first phase of the trail system opened in 2023 and included the Skullcap Loop and Chinquapin Loop. The second phase added the Homesite Loop, Aetna Flyway and Valley View Spur.
The project is intended to combine recreational access with conservation of the surrounding landscape.
According to SORBA Chattanooga Executive Director Sunshine Loveless, completion of the Aetna Mountain system brought the amount of mountain bike-accessible trail within 30 minutes of downtown Chattanooga to 190 miles.
The new beginner trails also address what local youth mountain bike leader Eric Wiens describes as a shortage of easy terrain for children and first-time riders in the Chattanooga area.
Wiens says the new green loop has an elevation profile suitable for beginning riders, with an old chimney at the top providing a destination for children riding the trail.
Barry Smith Trails constructed the second-phase expansion using the trail master plan developed by IMBA, with an emphasis on sustainability, accessibility and long-term stewardship.
$130M Station 33 breaks ground
Station 33 broke ground Aug. 20 on a $130 million mixed-use development on South Broad Street that will include a 120-room Aloft Hotel, more than 100 condominiums and townhomes, a food hall, restaurants, offices, retail space and a 475-space parking garage.
The five-building development will encompass more than 500,000 square feet on the 3300 block of South Broad Street and is expected to create more than 300 jobs. Sitework is scheduled to begin later this summer, followed by vertical construction in November. The four main buildings are slated for completion in fall 2028.
Barbera Development is developing the project with support from The Kinsey Company.
The development will be centered around a pedestrian-only plaza and shared courtyard with green space and a splash pad. Plans also call for a clock tower rising more than 75 feet.
An Aloft Hotel by Marriott will anchor the project. The seven-story, 120-room hotel will include a rooftop patio and bar, meeting rooms, a fitness center and other gathering spaces. Chattanooga-based Dynamic Group will develop and operate the hotel.
Station 33 will also include a food hall featuring multiple food vendors and a shared bar, as well as separate space for a full-service restaurant and lounge.
Residential plans call for more than 100 condominiums and townhomes, including one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Six luxury penthouse suites will feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls and views of Lookout Mountain.
The project is the latest development planned for the South Broad Street corridor, where public and private investments include Erlanger Park, expansion of the Tennessee Riverwalk and the Alton Park Connector.
Franklin Architects is the project’s architect, with Pape Dawson serving as civil engineer. Grace Construction will handle commercial construction, and Collier Construction will serve as residential builder. SouthEast Bank is providing financing.
SVN | Second Story Real Estate Management is handling commercial real estate, while Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Signature Brokers is overseeing residential real estate. River Street Architecture is the hotel architect.
Police groups seek LPR safeguards
Two Tennessee law enforcement associations are developing statewide standards for automated license plate readers, including limits on searches, data retention and sharing, and penalties for misuse.
The Tennessee Sheriffs Association and Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police plan to present recommendations to the General Assembly before the 2027 legislative session.
Proposed safeguards include requiring a legitimate law enforcement purpose for searches, limiting access to trained personnel, auditing system use and treating plate-reader alerts as investigative leads that require independent verification. The groups are also considering limits on historical searches and data retention.
The standards would prohibit using the technology to improperly monitor constitutionally protected activities and could impose discipline, including termination, for unauthorized searches, improper monitoring, discriminatory use or inappropriate sharing of information. Supervisors could also face consequences for knowingly allowing misuse.
Ten Commandments school records sought
Leading secular and civil liberties groups are seeking public records from five Tennessee school districts that recently voted to display the Ten Commandments in public schools.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent records requests Aug. 20 to Blount County Schools, Rutherford County Schools, Washington County Schools, White County Schools and Wilson County Schools.
The groups are seeking district emails and other communications, school board documents and proposed or approved designs related to Ten Commandments displays. The requests were filed under the Tennessee Public Records Act.
The requests follow recent votes by the five school boards to require Ten Commandments displays in their schools.
House Bill 47, enacted earlier this year, allows local boards of education to permit schools to display the Ten Commandments in a “prominent location.” The law defines such locations as school entryways, cafeterias or common areas where students are likely to see the displays.
The organizations say the records requests are part of an investigation into how districts are implementing the new law, which they contend infringes on families’ religious freedom by introducing religious doctrine into public schools.