South Broad Street Redevelopment Group

Chattanooga Creek Node
KEY POINTS

Capitalize on the reuse of the historic Southern Saddlery Building for mixed-use with a housing component.

Conserve creek areas with tree buffers and green space. Consider a resource conservation zone to guide development in sensitive areas and to lessen negative impacts.

Enhance St. Elmo Avenue and 31st Street with trees, sidewalks, and lighting to create a pedestrian-friendly way. Visually pleasing streets will encourage pedestrian activity that will in turn support new businesses.

Create a greenway master plan that addresses the proposed trail along the creek, overpasses, connections, and parks or green space. A major trailhead opportunity exists at the north end of St. Elmo Avenue.

The Chattanooga Creek Node refers to the area of South Broad near Chattanooga Creek and includes 31st Street, St. Elmo Avenue, Middle Street and Southern Saddlery. This area can also support mixed-use redevelopment that includes office buildings, retail businesses, and light manufacturing. New green spaces along the creek can buffer the more intense businesses in the area. Existing vacant lots and empty buildings should not be seen as problems, but rather as opportunities for a new cluster of pedestrian-oriented businesses in an area that was once seen only for industry.

The Saddlery - The brick buildings at 31st Street and the Southern Saddlery site are historic and should be evaluated for reuse as lofts, studios, offices, retail shops or other creative combinations. Fine examples of historic warehouse restorations can be found in the Southside and Northshore, illustrating the potential of these older buildings. The Saddlery building stands prominently at the foot of the bridge over Chattanooga Creek and is an excellent prospect for historic rehabilitation and loft apartments. The old Scholze Tannery site is now vacant. New development of this site should feature mixed-uses of offices and retail. It may be suitable for light manufacturing or warehousing, if located towards the rear of the property and by incorporating green buffers along the creek area.


		The Southern Saddlery building may feature loft housing and/or retail and office space. The adjacent creek and green space should connect the proposed Chattanooga Creek Greenway to this area.