Join the 2nd Safe Sidewalk Workday this Saturday, June 21st

Join use for the 2nd NCNA Safe Sidewalk Summer Crew workday

📅 When

• This Saturday, June 21st 8-10 AM

  • future workdays are schedule for July 5 & July 19

📍 Where

801 to 811 Boylston Street, just downhill from the Boylston / Albany intersection.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, garbage bags, wheel barrows, weed eaters
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

We’ll be trimming vegetation and clearing debris to reopen the blocked sidewalk along the front of 5 lots. We’ll work at our own pace and please join us even if you can only attend part of the work day.

Timelapse and Before and Afters from our first workday at 1211 Dugdale

Our first workday successfully freed the sidewalk at 1211 Dugdale from years of overgrowth and debris buildup. Check out our time lapse and before/after images from that work.

Join the Safe Sidewalk Summer Crew | 1st & 3rd Saturday Workdays

Join the NCNA Safe Sidewalk Summer Crew

Our recent neighborhood-wide walk audit identified a long list of spots where overgrowth, litter, or damaged pavement make walking tough. Let’s tackle them together!

📅 When

• 1st & 3rd Saturdays, 8 – 10 a.m.

  • June 7 & June 21

  • July 5 & July 19

• We’ll add August dates based on interest and our progress.

📍 Where

The meeting spot changes each session. Watch your email—the Road Safety list gets the exact location the Monday before every workday. If you want to be added to that list let us know here: contact form.

🧰 What to Bring

• Must-haves: water, work gloves, sturdy shoes

• Nice-to-haves: hedge trimmers, loppers, rakes, flat tipped shovels, leaf blowers, garbage bags
  (We’ll have extra tools on site, so come even if you’re empty-handed.)

📝 What We’ll Do

Most tasks involve trimming vegetation and clearing debris to reopen blocked sidewalks. Work at your own pace—whether you stay 30 minutes, the full two hours or longer your efforts will be valuable.

Kickoff Project (June 7): Brush-clearing at 1211 Dugdale Ave.
Check out the “before” photos below; let’s create the “after” shots together!

See you on the sidewalk! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Community Voices Shape Vision for a Safer, More Walkable Hixson Pike and Riverview Village

In response to longstanding safety concerns and two separate car accidents in late 2024, five neighborhood associations—Baker Hilltop, Dallas Heights, Fairhills, North Chattanooga, and Riverview—collaborated to gather community input on improving Hixson Pike between Fernway and Barton, and in the Riverview Village area. This effort was initiated by invitation of Councilwoman Jenny Hill who we thank for inviting our input on this important shared space.

Over three months, the group conducted a survey that garnered over 350 responses and hosted a community meeting attended by more than 60 residents. The feedback coalesced around two primary goals:

1. Slowing traffic speeds to enhance safety for all road users.

2. Developing continuous pedestrian pathways to improve walkability through the Riverview Village area.

Key recommendations towards those goals include relocating the southbound lane merge on Hixson Pike to a safer location north of its current spot, adding crosswalks, and constructing sidewalks where they are currently absent.

For a comprehensive overview of the community's priorities and suggestions, please refer to the following documents:

• Survey Response Report: Hixson Pike Survey Responses

• Community Priorities Statement: Hixson Pike - Riverview Village - Community Priorities Statement

• Presentation: Hixson Pike Community Survey D2 Presentation

This community-driven effort exemplifies how local collaboration can lead to actionable plans for safer, more accessible neighborhoods and we hope it encourages continued collaboration and engagement in our community.

Play Streets Are Coming!

Many adults can remember a time when children spent more time outdoors, and neighborhood streets were filled with the sounds of kids playing. While we still see many children in our neighborhood today, kids are more likely to play in their own homes, yards, or on screens.

In order to encourage more outdoor play and community connection, the North Chattanooga Neighborhood Association (NCNA) is excited to announce our Play Streets initiative. Play Streets are scheduled times when selected streets are closed to through traffic, creating safe spaces for children to play and neighbors to connect. This concept, already successful in other cities, represents a return to a time when streets weren’t just for cars – they were extensions of our front yards and gathering places for our communities.

The first NCNA Play Streets event will take place on Boylston Street, on Friday, April 11th from 5:00 PM–6:30PM. Please note, Boylston Street from Tremont to Beck will be closed to cars from 4:30 PM until 7:00PM the day of the event.

Play Streets will take place in the streets and in public spaces like sidewalks and greenways. Attendees should not be in a private yard unless invited.

RSVP Here

- The event is intentionally "low-program" and meant for parents to "life guard" rather than to be overly involved in the playing.
- We will provide bubbles and chalk, and we ask you to bring Amazon boxes for fort building and other creative play!
- We will also have an section for young children to play together with a bit of protection from older kids.
- All attendees should clean up after themselves as they leave.
- A parent or caregiver is required to be in attendance. Please bring a camp chair and enjoy the fun!
- Pets are not allowed at Play Streets.

We would love to see you at the event, and all are welcome even if you aren't a part of NCNA! Remember, Play Streets aren’t just about creating spaces for play – they’re about strengthening our community bonds, improving all of our well-being, and making North Chattanooga an even better place to live.

The future Play Streets are already planned. Hope you can join us!

May 9th on Hanover Street

June 13th on Colville Street

July 11th on Endicott Street

August 8th on Normal Avenue

September 12th on Dartmouth Street

October 10th on Boylston Street (again!)

If you would be interested in helping us with some of these future events, fill out this form!

Neighborhood Wide Walk Audit this Saturday Feb 22nd

Join us for the NCNA All Streets Walk Audit

This Saturday, Feb 22nd 9:00 AM

Wyatt Recreation Center

406 Colville St Chattanooga,TN

This will be an effort to review all pedestrian infrastructure within the NCNA boundaries.  We'll discuss the walk audit process over coffee and donuts then spit up to walk and review our neighborhood streets.

If you want to get a head start the walk audit you can do that using the following form:

https://forms.gle/bzaFxLnULnVx8YPX8

Thanks and see you Saturday!

Provide feedback on possible Hixson Pike updates

In the coming months, we anticipate that the City may begin to consider adjustments to Hixson Pike in the area from Fernway Road to Barton Avenue.  This section of Hixson Pike starts just North of the Bright School entrance and travels South through Riverview Village and its businesses like The Daily Ration, Tremont Tavern and Il Primo on the way to Barton Avenue. 

Councilwoman Hill has asked neighborhood members who live along this section of Hixson Pike to share our priorities for these updates.  Please share your responses to the survey and also plan to join us at the Wyatt Recreation Center at 6:30 PM on March 27th where we will discuss the results of the survey and gain more input from the community before sending our collaborative feedback to Councilwoman Hill.

• Survey (will be available until February 28th)

• Community Meeting: Wyatt Recreation Center at 6:30 PM on March 27th
  
  Thank You!

Bringing Play Streets to North Chattanooga

Many adults can remember a time when children spent more time outdoors, and neighborhood streets were filled with the sounds of kids playing. While we still see many children in our neighborhood today, kids are more likely to be in their own home, yard, or screen. 

In order to encourage more outdoor play and community connection, The North Chattanooga Neighborhood Association is excited to announce our upcoming Play Streets initiative, a movement that temporarily transforms residential streets into safe, car-free spaces for play and community gathering.

The idea came from a book club that NCNA hosted earlier this fall to discuss The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. The book explores the detrimental effect of screens and social media on young people, and it delves into the huge benefits of outdoor play. More than 20 neighbors came to the book club, and nearly everyone agreed that their primary concern with their own children playing in our neighborhood is the danger of traffic. 

What are Play Streets?

Play Streets are scheduled times when selected streets are closed to through traffic, creating safe spaces for children to play and neighbors to connect. This concept, already successful in cities like Seattle, Portland, and New York, represents a return to a time when streets weren't just for cars – they were extensions of our front yards and gathering places for our communities.

Why Now?

In recent years, childhood has undergone a dramatic shift. Research shows that today's children spend significantly less time in unstructured outdoor play compared to previous generations. This decrease in outdoor activity and face-to-face social interaction has been linked to increased rates of anxiety and decreased social development among young people.

Contemporary research, including recent studies on child development, highlights several concerning trends:

• Children spend 50% less time in unstructured outdoor activities than they did in the 1970s 

• Average radius of play (how far children roam independently) has shrunk by 90% since the 1970s

• Screen time has replaced much of children's free play time

Benefits of Play Streets

Play Streets offer multiple benefits for our community. In addition to mental and physical well-being for children, Play Streets also build community by fostering a greater sense of community safety and intergenerational interaction. 

North Chattanooga’s Play Street event

The first step in planning our event is to seek a permit from the City of Chattanooga to close a selected street to traffic on a specific date. We have identified Boylston Street, between Colville Street and Beck Ave, as a potential location for the initial event. Because this stretch of road does not include any residences, it should pose minimal disruption to traffic flow (and it can serve as a wonderful test case for creating a public park in that vicinity!). The date of the event has not yet been determined. 

We need your help! 

We are currently seeking volunteers to help plan this event. Please let us know here if you are interested in helping out and/or staying in the loop on this event!

Remember, Play Streets aren't just about creating spaces for play – they're about strengthening our community bonds, improving our children's well-being, and making North Chattanooga an even better place to live.

Frazier Ave Resurfacing & Restriping – Schedule Change

Updated 10/14

Frazier Ave Resurfacing & Restriping – Schedule Change

 This afternoon, the paving contractor notified CDOT of a scheduling change due to unforeseen delays in the lowering and raising of manholes on Frazier Ave. The contractor will begin resurfacing and restriping of Frazier Ave between Market Street and Barton Ave on Monday, October 21st, and will take an estimated 4 days to complete.

The subcontractor will be present to raise and lower sewer manholes within the project area through Friday. This will require the occasional single-lane closure, with flaggers present to direct traffic around the work sites.

Once work begins on Monday after 8 AM, a single lane will be maintained both westbound and eastbound during the daytime work, with the brief, occasional full closure of adjoining streets. Street parking will be restricted within the active work areas.

The final schematic and striping plans for Frazier Ave can be viewed here.

POC: Chattanooga Division of Transportation, 423-643-5950   

Justin Strickland, Public Space and Policy Coordinator

Frazier Ave Memorial and Dedication Service on November 16th

Last year, our community was shocked by the tragic accident on Frazier Avenue that claimed the lives of Anna and her son Jonathan. This year, we have an opportunity to heal together. Please join us for a Memorial and Dedication service in honor of the Devia family on November 16th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Walker Pavilion in Coolidge Park to reflect and celebrate the power of transformation. Members of the Devia family will be traveling from Jacksonville, FL to attend, and members of our NCNA will be hosting the family in their homes.

This is a grassroots-led event organized by neighbors like you to provide a meaningful space to connect, grieve, and build a stronger, resilient community moving forward. Organizations providing grief, trauma, and public safety resources are invited to table and share information with the community. (Please contact Mariah Friend, mmfriend87@gmail.com, by October 21st for more information if your organization would like to participate).

Here’s the schedule of events:

• 12:00-3:30 pm - Community participation in painting butterflies led by local artist Lexi D’Ambrosio to represent the Devia Family for future installation at the site of Forest and Frazier Avenue

• 3:30 - 3:45 pm - Devia Family Memorial Dedication by Pastor Kimberly Laura

• 3:45 - 4:15 pm - Forest Bathing/Ground Blessing Ceremony with Ecotherapist Valerie Radu at the site of a tree planting in honor of the family in Coolidge Park

• 4:15-5:15 pm - Complete painting of the butterflies. Community partners will have tables with resources for grief support, healing, public safety, and trauma care

• 5:15-5:30 pm - Gathering for a candlelight vigil with a walk to the corner of Forest and Frazier with a moment of silence to end our time together

Community members are welcome to attend all or part of the event. Our hope is to provide a model for how we can overcome tragedy and heal together. Please share this event and invite others. We hope to see you there! 

Upcoming NCNA Road Safety Meeting

We have two upcoming Road Safety meetings that all are welcome to attend. Please let us know that you are coming so that we are sure to have enough space by emailing us at northchattanooganeighbors@gmail.com:

• Thursday, October 3rd, 6:30 p.m. at Wyatt Rec Center (in the small building).

• A joint meeting of the Responsible Growth and Road Safety committees to discuss a collective neighborhood response to the proposed development on Franklin Street and how to work proactively to mitigate potential negative impacts that it could have. 

• The Road Safety points of interest include the immediate area of development on Franklin as well as the proposed one-way to two-way change on Hamilton, proposed sidewalks on Hamilton and the crosswalk on Dallas near the N. end of Market Street.  We would like to arrive at consensus about what we think could be both longer term improvements to the area as well as shorter term changes that are easier to implement while being effective at calming automobile traffic and increasing safety in the area.  

Information about proposed Franklin Street subdivision

Friday, October 11th, 11:45 a.m. at Basecamp on Frazier (location may change if raining or the group is very large).

• Carmen Harvey, the City Transportation Engineer, will join us to present updates on the city's rerouting plans during the Walnut St. bridge closure and to provide feedback on our questions and suggestions.

• In our discussion with Carmen and afterwards we will be working to finalize the statement on the Walnut closure rerouting that we've drafted.  Hopefully we can add more specific suggestions and ideas that may help during the closure period.  

• If time allows we will also discuss some of the next steps related to the goal of improving Tremont near Hixson Pike.

• September 18th updates from Public Works on Frazier and Walnut

• Our draft statement on the Walnut closure rerouting

If you plan to attend either meeting let us know so that we can secure adequate space: northchattanooganeighbors@gmail.com  

If you can't attend one of the meetings above but have input feel free to share it directly via email and we'll add it to the discussion.

Updates on Frazier Avenue and Walnut Street Bridge Plans

This morning, I got the most current updates from Jerramy Woods, the newly appointed Public Works Administrator, about plans for the Frazier Avenue redesign implementation, as well as the Walnut Street Bridge construction project.

Pending weather problems, the work to implement the Frazier Avenue redesign will begin next week (the week of September 23rd - 27th) and should be finished before Thanksgiving. [UPDATE 10/3: The paving team was called in for emergency work in the down areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. Public Works reports that they were told they should be here and moving forward next week.] Public Works has asked for our patience during the process, and we look forward to a much safer Frazier Avenue soon! The North Shore Merchants’ Collective is spearheading efforts with the City Planning Department to install planters along Frazier soon after the road changes are finished. Those planters will be sponsored by different local businesses that are committed to making the North Shore safer and more beautiful. If you have a business that would like to sponsor a planter, please email us: northchattanooganeighbors@gmail.com

"Detours" Slide from 9.17.2024 Public Works Presentation to City Council about Walnut Street Bridge renovations

I am attaching a presentation about the Walnut Street Bridge renovations that was delivered last night. The anticipated date of the bridge closure is March 17, 2025, and the anticipated date the bridge renovation completion is September 14, 2026. Of particular interest to our community is the slide entitled detours, which indicates current routes for pedestrian use while the bridge is closed. Walnut Bridge Renovation Presentation.