Rivercity Company

Programs: Event expenses: expenses from putting on special events and programs in the downtown area in order to attract visitors and bring more businesses downtown, such as movies at center park, a free event to the public to bring animation to the center of the city, and park(ing) day when over 50 mini parks take over metered parking spots for a day all throughout downtown. Other events also include; clean & green, start up week, downtown snowflake lighting program and the downtown animation program.

open spaces for downtown: open spaces program takes empty storefronts and enlivens them with light, art and interactive installations in the city center district of downtown. This program produced 19 installations from artists, technologists and hobbyists that included a wide variety of activity including a historical picture kiosk of downtown chattanooga, a digital graffiti wall, and even an installation of books suspended from a ceiling attached to motion sensors that move as someone walks by.

mlk commercial corridor revitalization: initiative intended to invigorate and accelerate the revitalization of the mlk district by acquiring key properties to help development and density, providing signage and facade grants to tenants/owners while instilling and requiring quality urban design principles, and assistance with retail and commercial recruitment efforts to help lure businesses.

other programs include:the block - the block is the largest adaptive reuse project in chattanooga's history, turning the old bijou theater into a vibrant urban centerpiece; including rock/creek outfitters; chattz coffee and high point climbing and fitness, a 23,000 square foot state of the art climbing and bouldering gym with a 16,500 square foot climbing wall on the broad street face of the building. Its primary purpose is to bring more visitors to the riverfront district and to fill in an empty space in the heart of the district, thus promoting economic activity and vibrancy throughout downtown. Unum downtown campus study: this study evaluated the potential for development of a large portion of land controlled by unum on the perimeter of the city center planning area. The resulting plan clearly reveals the significance of the unum property to the future growth of downtown chattanooga. The plans call for the creation of an exciting, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented downtown neighborhood. Unum executives have ackowledged their interest in exploring opportunities for development and recognize, not only the value of the property, but its significance to the surrounding neighborhoods and to the city. Vine street corridor study: this study looks at the critical link between vine street and the university of tennessee at chattanooga (utc) campus and downtown. Currently it is comprised of surface parking lots and buildings in various conditions ranging from student housing to small retail establishments. The strategy for unum's vine street properties calls for incrementally redeveloping the surface parking lots into street-fronting buildings with parking either surface or structured located behind. Market-rate residential buildings with storefronts on the ground floor would create a safe and pleasant environment. Both the university and unum's developer will widen the existing sidewalk into a beautiful promenade with planting areas, sidewalk zones for pedestrian movement, and terrace areas in front of commercial storefronts for outside cafes, retailing, and additional landscaping. Utc and unum share the belief that this generous promenade is an extraordinary opportunity to better connect the utc campus to downtown chattanooga. Retail recruitment for downtown: this initiative is intended to recruit new commercial retailers to locate downtown, since economic viability is viewed as crucial to the sustainability of the entire downtown revitalization effort. Over the past year, 38 new restaurants and retailers have opened downtown. Miller plaza: miller plaza is an urban public park constructed almost three decades ago in the heart of downtown chattanooga; it was built both to provide a model of good urban design for "active park use," and to provide a venue for an enormous variety of animating activities for downtown. When it was constructed, downtown chattanooga was sliding downhill with abandoned retail stores, closed movie theaters, offices and residences relocating to outlying surburban areas, and a vacuum of attractive activity and animation, expecially after work hours ended. Miller plaza was the first beacon for the revival of downtown chattanooga, and miller plaza now serves as the home for four restaurants/sandwich shops; seasonal friday night concert series from memorial day to september; and a venue for many dozens of civic gatherings and activities. Miller plaza is owned by the rivercity company and it continues to provide the social anchor for events and animation within the city center district of downtown chattanooga. Return to the river initiatives: this program's purpose is to attract people to live, work, and play in the riverfront district. Expenditures relate to planning for future development, animation of existing public spaces.