RIGHT TO THE CHIN

I listend to that this morning. I hope that hotel is SHOT DOWN.

The problem with chattanooga is that we rely on tourist and unlimited growth instead of sustainability and unlimited development.

The hotel will be approved.
As far as development goes, Chattanooga still has along way to go before it's on par with other cities. There have to be reasons for people to live here. And if people are coming here to visit, there has to be people here to serve them. And the more people who live here, there will need to be more things to sustain them. A hotel will provide some jobs. It will be one of many. In ten years, you won't recognize this place.

My point is we need to cease this dependability on tourism (which also pollutes our air when they drive here from their homes) and support our own community and encourage more development. Why can't the hotel be built in an EXISTING building?

it could, but it's not our decision. a private developer wanted to build a building on yet another private piece of land. BTW, if it had been built BEFORE the park, nobody would have said a word about it...

An economy bolstered by tourism is a wonderful thing. Living in Florida, our tourism not only draws visitors, but increases our population as those visitors decide to make our area their seasonal residence. They spend money as residents and many take up some form of part time employment. Others decide this is a great place to live after visiting and move here permanently, further increasing our economy. You can't have growth without some external stimuli. I love Chattanooga, and find it charming and beautiful; much the same way I remember Tampa about 20 years ago. Give it time and you'll see your city expand and grow in both welth and size. If you build it, they will come.

It is hard to believe that people are so in favor of such a project. if a hotel had been in coolidge park from the beginning the park would probably have taken a different approach. and as far as advocating serious development because it is always a good thing. i think it could go well or we could be the next gatlinburg/pigeon forge..do you think those places are proud of what they have done. there may be money adn tourism, but what about the stuff that actually matters; like air you can breathe. walking down the street in pigeon forge you practically need a gas mask. i think you have a weak argument for such development.

I don't think there is any chance of us being overrun with airbrushing kiosks anytime soon. Oh, and the same week they announced the proposed hotel, they broke ground on a park right next to Coolidge Park that'll be THREE TIMES THE SIZE of Coolidge Park. I think it's more than a fair deal. We certainly have no shortage of parks in this town.

The Gatlinburg comparison is a poor one. Chattanooga isn't some idyllic hamlet that will be destroyed by comercialization, as development blows past livability. We are a large, industrial town, and tourism, properly planned, will increase the enjoyment of current residents as well as visitors. The only question at hand is whether individual construction projects fit into a coherent urban development plan.