The new Volkswagen plant, adjacent to a 2,800-acre park and nature preserve, employs more than 2,000 workers.
their negotiations with the city. They wanted assurances that it would be extended to their facility!” TPL is now working to do just that: getting easements in place so the city can build the extension. “It will come right through here,” Wood says, “and pass directly under the gantry.”
Jackson Riley Parker/Volkswagen If bringing Alstom’s turbine plant to Chattanooga
was a coup, landing Volkswagen’s assembly plant was seismic. The 2010 announcement was made at the Hunter Museum of American Art, on the bluffs over- looking the Tennessee River with Stringer’s Ridge in the background. The gathered crowd cheered out loud when Volkswagen of America’s President Stephan Jacoby, accompanied by Governor Phil Bredesen, formally announced that Volkswagen was coming to Chattanooga. Small wonder: the assembly plant, originally planned
to produce 150,000 vehicles a year—a capacity already surpassed—brought 2,000 new jobs and a $1 billion investment in the region’s economy. And that doesn’t count the 19 major auto parts suppliers that have relo- cated to Chattanooga to support the facility. “We made a conscious effort to pitch our qual-
Billy Weeks
Instead of tearing down the 1890 Walnut Street Bridge, the city made it part of the greenway system. Today, it is one of the longest pedestrian spans in the world.
18 LAND&PEOPLE Spring/Summer 2012
ity of life, including all we’ve done to revitalize down- town, create parks and green space, clean up our air, and generally be good stewards of the environment,” says Trevor Hamilton, vice president for economic develop- ment of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Jacoby, in announcing Volkswagen’s decision, lauded