« Fed Up? Moving To Canada? Don’t let the door of freedom hit you on the way out | Main | Bill's Indian-Giving Blog Cries Wolf...or something like that. »
November 23, 2004
Save The Chattanooga Theatre Center Parking Lot!: Let’s take this hotel idea out behind the viewshed and give it what for
John Coolidge, Jr. says the proposed move to move the proposed Coolidge Hotel away from the Walnut Street Bridge is “a move in the right direction,” but I wholeheartedly disagree. Oh sure, the hotel will be moving away from his favorite historical site, but what about mine? I say the hotel is just a horrible idea, no matter where it’s built.
It’s bad enough that my cherished view of the Mr. Zip has been blocked by the new condos that are being built on Frazier, but now discussions are underway to build the proposed Coolidge Hotel a few feet to the left of the Walnut Street Bridge, smack dab in the middle of the Chattanooga Theatre Center parking lot, blocking my view of the trees that have always beautifully blocked my view of the river. I shouldn’t have to walk a few feet or turn my head slightly to see a beautiful view. I want beautiful views in all directions. And I want them now. And so do a lot of other folks.
In addition to parking there for performances at the Theatre Centre, I use the parking lot almost every day when I eat lunch, walk on the bridge, or just sit in the park and contemplate my existence. And because I use the parking lot on such a frequent basis, and can therefore appreciate it better, I think I’m better qualified to stand up and speak loudly on behalf of all Chattanoogans when I say that the Theatre Centre parking lot must not be destroyed.
Oh sure, the Coolidge Hotel will help the Theatre Centre’s ticket sales, add to the tax base, create jobs, bolster the surrounding businesses, attract visitors who’d love to spend the night in a very beautiful and scenic area, and encourage other businesses to set up shop on the North Shore. But at what cost?
Granted, guidelines aren’t rules, but they should be followed strictly, anyway. So, say we let this hotel be built where the developer wants it and as tall as the developer wants it. What happens next? Will the next developer build his building just a little bit higher? And what about the developer that comes in after him? How long before this “progress” blocks out the sun completely? And when that happens who will even want to go to the park? I mean, the park’s no fun without the sun.
And what about the sacred skateboarding ground that this hotel will desecrate? That’s right, skateboarders—great, historic skateboarders—used to freestyle freely in the Theatre Centre’s parking lot until they were “given” a skate park on the Southside. To think that a historical spot will be disturbed in the name of solid business ideas is an atrocity. If the hotel is going to be built and block views, it should be built on the site of the old floor coverings building as originally planned. When was the last time that you’ve ever heard of historic floor coverings?
John Coolidge, Jr. wants to be included in the dialogue between the mayor and the developer, but I don’t. I want what I want when I want it, and what I want now is for the Chattanooga Theatre Centre parking lot to be left alone.
I dunno. Maybe I should just give up. I mean, there’s got to be more important things to worry about, right?
Pulse Columns | By colrus | 01:52 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://chattablogs.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/16816
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Save The Chattanooga Theatre Center Parking Lot!: Let’s take this hotel idea out behind the viewshed and give it what for:
