One letter writer says, “While it is true that the hotel will not be ‘inside’ the park, that doesn't change the fact that it's going to be inside the area the public perceives as being the park.” Huh? Regardless of peoples’ “perceptions,” the fact of the matter is that the land where the hotel will sit is privately owned, and its owner is within his rights to sell it. Period. The same writer says that the new hotel site is “morally” inside the park and implies that the owner of the property owes it to the residents of the city to let them decide what’s best for his property. I wonder if the writer would have any “moral” objection if the property owner started barking orders about what to do with the writer’s private property.

Opponents say that the new hotel will “destroy the view” of the entire area. This is false. A hotel that will be about the same height as the Walnut Street Bridge will not destroy the view. In fact, what’s prettier, a vacant floorcoverings store or a brand new hotel? God forbid people should have to take a few steps to the left or right—or even walk across the glorious Walnut Street Bridge—to get yet another view of the beautiful city they’ve already seen a million times. Also amazingly missed in all the outrage is the fact that the 23.5-acre Roper Site next to Coolidge Park will soon become a park, as well. The Roper Site is three times the size of Coolidge Park, and will give Chattanoogans even more space to enjoy along the river. In relation to the current size of Coolidge Park, the proposed hotel site is small. In the grand scheme of things, the site will look even smaller when the overall public park space increases exponentially.

Opponents also ask why developers would want to build a hotel in flood zone. But the fact of the matter is that the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, the adjacent apartment complexes and Coolidge Park, itself, are also in flood zones. But where’s the “concern” about those areas flooding? And would this even have been mentioned had we not had a flood in 2003?

But probably most of all, opponents are worried about the increased traffic and parking problems the hotel will bring. But why are they not worried about the increased traffic and parking problems that occur whenever any other major event is held at the park? If they’re going to make that argument, then what about the increased traffic and parking problems that the other new businesses have also caused in and around the park in recent years? It seems that increased traffic and parking problems are actually only bad if people are opposed to the reason for the increased traffic and parking problems in the first place. Increased traffic means that more people want to be somewhere, and it is imperative that Chattanooga—a city whose bread and butter is growth and expansion—does as much as it can to make people want to be here.
The Coolidge is scheduled to open in 2006, and will contain 80 rooms, 41 parking spaces underneath, a restaurant on the first floor and a bistro on the roof. Like other recent and future expansion projects, the new hotel will benefit neighboring businesses, add to the tax base and create more jobs. These facts, however, won’t stop the flood of panicked protest against it. A packed house is expected at the final hearing on the matter on September 23.

See you there.