Many remember Kirkman High School. It was ahead of its time with a curriculum offered in the trades with only 70 students upon its first opening class in 1928. The school closed in 1991 as part of the riverfront expansion and development, which included much of the north end of Chestnut Street.
Today, Hawk Hill is back in the news. As the property that is now home to AT&T Field and the Chattanooga Lookouts becomes unused as the minor league baseball team moves to the other end of town–also on prime real estate at the Tennessee River–plans are being made public in spurts of information regarding the land adjacent to Tennessee State Highway 27 and Power Alley, formerly Pine Street.
While the Kirkman Golden Hawks are remembered to have played on the homefield gridiron at such a scenic location, the value of that dirt today is eyed by developers and city officials wanting to get the parcel developed and on the tax rolls.
The River City Company, “Chattanooga’s Economic Development nonprofit,” collected input from more than 3,100 downtown residents and held meetings with business owners, adjacent property owners, leaders of the City, tourism, and other stakeholders regarding the use of the land once the Chattanooga Lookouts had relocated to the new stadium off Broad Street at the old Wheland Foundry site.
This “listening” activity was conducted over several months in 2023 with a “vision” announced by the community input desiring mixed housing that serves a range of incomes, eateries and family-friendly activities and entertainment, parks and public spaces, along with the view of the Tennessee River maximized for the public’s use.
After less than 25 years of use of the current baseball stadium, the City of Chattanooga plans to reclaim the 13-acre parcel of land exercising a land-use agreement that was in place for development of another kind.
According to River City CEO Emily Mack, condominiums, apartments, and townhomes will be available for mixed-income residents with some structures sketched to reach up to 12 stories, restaurants, a hotel, and a green space approximated to be about the size of Miller Park with a key attraction of a “pedestrian promenade” featuring the iconic views of the River.
The continued changes to Chattanooga’s skyline focus on offering downtown living and the amazing offerings of restaurants, more live music, greenspaces, and tourism. Interestingly, the site that once trained young men and women to work and thrive in jobs to support their dreams and plans closed and became a ballpark for recreation. The site will soon feature housing to accommodate the new tastes of residents wanting the urban experience mixed in with shops and dining. Here’s also hoping that development of residential inventory downtown is supported by critical needs of schools and other infrastructure required. Growth can be so beneficial. Development that’s not supported by critical infrastructure benefits developers more than local families and their quality of life.