CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — What was once a bustling Chattanooga mall will soon be occupied again. The North River Industrial Park on Access Road in Hixson had its opening ceremony this morning.
The park will be on the site of the former DuPont plant that opened for 60 years and hired thousands of others in the area. City and county leaders say this will soon give Hamilton County much-needed commercial space.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said, “The state of Tennessee, Sam Wells, and the Chamber of Commerce presented it to us as a concept and presented us with a concept of how we can achieve that. We were pleased to get approved for a tax-creating investment program to achieve this. “It’s going to be a chore, and as I said, it’s probably the biggest task we’ve had since Volkswagen’s plant in Enterprise South.
Mayor Kelly said he expects 500 to 600 jobs to be created over the next two years. He also believes there will be green space, an extension of the Tennessee Riverwalk to Northshore and road construction.
Private real estate company Rise Partners will lead the project.