Public meeting set for Moccasin Bend 'gateway' proposal

photo Staff File Photo by John Rawlston The Tennessee River curves around Moccasin Bend in between Lookout Mountain and downtown Chattanooga.
photo Karen Hundt, director of Chattanooga's Design Center

A public meeting is set for next week for residents to give their thoughts on plans for a new "gateway" to the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District and Stringer's Ridge.

The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in the Chattanooga Convention Center, Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield, said in a news release.

"The designation of Moccasin Bend as a National Archeological District and the recent purchase of Stringers Ridge for conservation and recreation present our community with an incredible opportunity," Karen Hundt, director of Chattanooga's Design Center, said in the release. "Focusing on each of these areas in isolation would certainly have led to missed opportunities. How we protect and use the natural resources; how we develop the area leading into Moccasin Bend; how we connect these areas; and how they, in turn, connect to the surrounding community are questions we need to answer."

The area being studied includes Manufacturer's Road, Hamm Road and Cherokee Boulevard. The plan is expected to guide future development, identify and design public spaces and protect the integrity of our natural and cultural resources, Beeland said.

Along with the Design Center, other participants in the gateway are the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, the Friends of Moccasin Bend, the National Park Service, the Trust for Public Land and the Chattanooga and Hamilton County Parks and Recreation departments.

Those wanting to attend should RSVP to the Regional Planning Agency at 423-643-5901.

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