Nourishing the Neighborhoods
Plans for Districts Five and Six

Overview

Districts Five and Six contain a great heartland of neighborhoods. It is a racially and economically diverse area with many common characteristics. Accordingly, this report will deal with the unifying elements and will note certain differences.

District Five includes portions of North Brainerd, Woodmore, Dalewood, Kingspoint, Lake Hills and Bonny Oaks.

District Six includes South Brainerd, Eastgate, Sunnyside, Brainerd Hills, Shepherd, and most of the Tyner neighborhood.

The area also includes the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport – which makes a major impact on current land use and future development.

Greatest Challenge:

The central arterial contributing to commercial and residential health for both Districts Five and Six is the Brainerd Road / Lee Highway corridor.  Resurrecting retail viability and promoting compatible, high quality infill development to serve the adjacent neighborhoods is the greatest challenge.

Greatest Opportunity:

The intersection of Interstates 75 and 24 is badly in need of redesign and reconstruction.  This key traffic facility is based on traffic engineering from 50 years ago. Hardly a week goes by without major accidents – often involving tractor-trailer rigs that tie up traffic for hours in all directions.  The reconstruction of this interchange will be a very large, very expensive undertaking. Still, it is something that must be done.  Hopefully, the project will permit a more direct connection to the heart of the Eastgate / Brainerd Village commercial district. Thus, the ultimate need to rebuild the
I-24 / I-75 connection will provide the greatest opportunity to solve the long-standing access problem for the commercial heart of these two districts.

My Plan and My Pledge

I will build more sidewalks on Brainerd Road and work to implement remaining applicable portions of the “Imagine Eastgate” plan

I will complete the widening of Shallowford Road and will move forward with improvement of Wilcox Tunnel.

I will push for more aggressive code enforcement throughout the residential neighborhoods to reduce the number of abandoned vehicles and to further minimize trash-strewn and blighted properties.

I will insist on active enforcement of the noise ordinance to eliminate the late night disturbances of booming car stereos.

I will provide new lights, new pavement and will generally further improve the Tyner Recreation facilities and ball fields.

I will implement “traffic calming” to slow traffic and discourage short cuts by motorists through residential areas. Thus, we will provide a quieter and safer environment for children and adults.

I will take a comprehensive approach to storm water problems in both districts.

I will pursue completion of the Brainerd Levee / South Chickamauga Creek Greenway – providing a north-south pedestrian park tying together the neighborhoods of East Chattanooga, Kingspoint, Woodmore and Brainerd – and extending on to the Camp Jordan Recreation Complex in East Ridge.

I will push the Tennessee Department of Transportation to move forward with an imaginative redesign of the I-75 / I-24 interchange to resolve the obvious problems that are resulting in frequent accidents and (hopefully in the process) to provide better access to the Eastgate / Brainerd Village and Parkridge East Hospital area.

Finally, pursuant to specific requests and comments by neighborhood residents, I promise to do a better job of maintaining the streets and roads, and I will undertake new measures to make sure that everyone has a better understanding about the scheduling and collection of trash and brush.