× Expand

"The State of the City is strong," Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said as he concluded his State of the City address last Thursday night at Walker Theater, speaking before a crowd of city and county, officials, community partners, stakeholders and the public.

Kelly touched on some of the city's more recent accomplishments. He said the city has added more than 30,000 jobs since 2021, and the city is forecast to produce another 16,000 jobs.

Expand

"And if we manage to make that happen, that will be the best two years in the city's history," he said.

And it's not just jobs that are improving. Household income for young families also compares favorably with Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Houston and Manhattan, when adjusted for cost of living.

He noted how the city accomplished its first major overhaul of residential zoning codes since the 1960s. He said the city has seen a down tick in the number of homeless people and the city has re-paved many roads and potholes, with more roadwork yet to come.

As he shifted his focus to what is yet to come, he reminded everyone about the importance of patronizing locally owned stores in our area, "Instead of Starbucks," he quipped. In the same vein, he spoke about the importance of the One Westside Project.

"In a way this is the mother of all private and public partnerships," he said explaining that the private development of the Bend is going to create the tax increment needed to make the down payment on the new housing at One Westside. "This project hits every one of our values and goals. This project is going to mean an increased number of early learning seats at the old James A. Henry school, increased access to healthcare, closing gaps in public health, and increased economic vitality in this predominantly black community."

Kelly said the project will add new job opportunities and add improved roads and sidewalks while increasing affordable housing in the area. He said the city qualified for a Choice neighborhood grant. "We've never gotten a Choice neighborhood grant," Kelly said thanking the team that made it possible.

He also said his team is working on a policy that will ensure that local contractors get the contracts when they bid on city developments. He noted the city has also attracted more than $350 million in federal funding.

Going forward he said city officials are going to fight to bring in an R1 rating to UTC. Based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a top tier (R1) are Doctoral Universities with very high research activity. Kelly said our local university is doing great research but is currently rated R3.

Not having an R1 University means Chattanooga is missing out on growth opportunities. "We are the largest city in the state without an R1 University," he said. "If you don't have those research assets and doctoral programs to do the research and development programs, they just pass you right over."

The city is working on a better parking plan and app, so more people would be willing to patronize downtown retailers and restaurants, as well as cracking down on "gotcha fines" from privately owned parking lots, where fines can drastically increase a $10 ticket to $70 within a day.

He said the city will continue to grow its workforce development programs. "Internships, apprenticeships, schools, future work ready institutes," he said adding Chattanooga is ahead of many other cities in this area.

He reviewed the plan for Moccasin Bend, where the city's wastewater is converted to clean water. "Through wise investments over the last few years we are making huge strides in cleaning up our water," he said. He said it's been more than a year since their last overflow. The new plan will allow the city to capture the sludge and green waste and convert it to natural fertilizers the city can sell. The plan also shows how they can capture the methane and others gases which will be converted into fuel to run the city's waste trucks.

And finally, Kelly said the city is currently trying to be designated as the country's first National Park City. "The idea that we live in a park with a city in it, instead of a city with a park in it, is super powerful," he said. "It changes the way people think of themselves in relationship to nature."