In 2017 residents imagined a landscaped Glass Street by leaving their remarks on an interactive activity at GSL that invited color-coded post-it style feedback to indicate preferences for green space, desired or undesired land use, and a color for new ideas.

Project coordinator, David Barlew, with David Barlew Architects, said some of last year’s feedback has made it into this year’s interactive visioning activity at the block party.

To keep things manageable, David’s team will be using a 30 foot stretch of Glass Street between 2200-2300 Glass Street to take some of the ideas off the drawing board, and attempt to temporarily illustrate them on a human scale.

This short block was chosen as the “life sized street sketch” for a few reasons including the desire for wider sidewalks and a more pedestrian friendly area in general. This stretch includes existing 9 foot sidewalks already, making a great jumping off place to expand on that pedestrian-friendly idea.

Working off the 9’ sidewalks will be crafted indications of additional greenways and areas where planted strips could be installed acting as a buffer between Glass Street shoppers and traffic. A temporary median will be created for David’s “street sketch” using live trees. Trees and patches of grass sod will also be strategically placed accompanied by written marks to easily indicate new curb heights and other measurements and ideas the street sketch is proposing.

The most important thing about this project right now is that it gathers signatures of support and resident advocates to let city officials know that infrastructure improvements are needed in East Chattanooga and that residents want those budget dollars invested where we live.

Your neighbors will be walking around with clipboards asking residents for their support of streetscaping improvements to the area. Participating by signing your name is one way the community can be champions for their future. Become an advocate for where you live by letting officials know what projects are important to you. Together we can make this happen. We are always careful to take time to gain input. Together we can help to turn input into action!

Don’t miss this temporary installation at Glass Street LIVE!

This is an active and shared space and residents wanted to be sure their voices and ideas were heard in the planning process for any future development of the intersection.

The idea of sharing ideas while sharing a meal in someone’s home was so simple and profoundly productive, that many on the organizing committee think it was an -a-ha moment of sorts for gathering meaningful input from many of us who are not as comfortable with some of the larger public meetings. Nicole Lewis, Community Relations Manager for Glass House Collective, feels confident that this is input that would otherwise have never been heard or considered.

After hosting two dinners per week over the course of two months, results of the input were combined with input gained at larger public events. Common themes of safety, new uses for existing buildings, and new uses for a vibrant public space were included in the recommendations and analysis given to architect, David Barlew.

Barlew made technical drawings from the analysis and those are now being reviewed, along with estimated costs, by CDOT.

If all goes according to plan, a showcase of proposed ideas will be ready to see at Glass Street Live on Saturday, November 3. This will give everyone a real “tour” of any proposed permanent changes and a chance to voice opinions (oh, and just another reason to attend Glass Street LIVE!).

There are several steps in front of us, but if this streetscaping project is executed in 2019 you can be sure that our arts-centered activation squad will be turning things up at the corners of Dodson & Glass. Stay tuned for news announcing 2019 stipend opportunities for local artists and neighbors to create temporary projects together!

Come enjoy the grand finale of the day, where the Glass Farm neighborhood meets the Boyce Station and Avondale neighborhoods, at the intersection of Dodson Avenue and Glass Street! Our neighbors want to see change and improvements there, and together we can test and demonstrate ways to make this busy link between Hardy Elementary School and the East Chatt YFD Center safer and more welcoming for the families using these resources daily!

We will have a community parade, live music, local food vendors (including some of the best BBQ anywhere in Chattanooga!), a pop-up farm stand, dance competitions, and a chance to participate in temporary crosswalk installations that are colorful, safe, and we believe can be as effective in attracting permanent design improvements as these same tactics were when we started work with Better Block at the Chamberlain Ave. and Glass Street intersection 4 years ago! Catch the spirit of Glass Street LIVE by watching last year’s video on our YouTube Channel!

Want to get involved? Please fill out our Online Interest Form!

We’re excited to include lots of community vendors, information booths, and VOLUNTEERS! Food vendors are being carefully curated to prioritize sales for local eateries.

Interested in showcasing your business as an official Glass Street LIVE sponsor? Find details on our website’s Sponsorship Page!

Let friends know about our party by sharing our Facebook Event Page!

See you in October!

Glass Street Community Public Art Project Finalists

•         Nicky Falkenhayn, “Glass Houses”

•         Weston Lambert, “Carved Glass & Stone Benches”

•         Christopher Weed, “Colored Building Blocks”

•         Christopher Weed, “Purple Cone Flowers”

•         Catherine Woods, “Storyteller Grouping”

We are looking forward to this fall when the five benches that YOU chose will animate the sidewalks of Glass Street!