Clinton: The Downtown Vision

  A month ago, the news of change began to spread throughout the City of Clinton. The revitalization project, Clinton: The Downtown Vision, began to make headlines throughout Anderson County.  A brief 30 second video was created by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce to help spread the news of the Downtown Vision on Social Media. Little did the Chamber know that the quick video would end up being shared on Facebook and watched by over 4,000 people. The video created an interest among many citizens of Anderson County and that was exactly what the Chamber had hoped would happen.

           

Gianni Longo with Gianni Longo Associates, LTD.

The Chamber hosted a series of events that featured Gianni Longo with Gianni Longo Associates, LTD. Longo is known for his work of urbanizing cities throughout the United States. In Tennessee, Longo’s visions have led to the redesign Chattanooga’s riverfront, downtown Franklin, and even Knoxville’s Market Square. The series kicked off with an opening presentation by Gianni Longo with around 100 Anderson County attendees. Following that, Longo conducted group interviews and multiple open houses while the plan was taking shape, ending the week with a Closing Presentation to present the results. Sketches of the Downtown Vision were presented to the crowd during the Closing Presentation. Overall, the four days had a participation of over 300 people involved.

Potential Main Street Showing Infill Buildings 

The possible redesign of Kincaid Street as the portal to the Magnet Mills site.

                                                                                                                                                                                    

Potentially an aerial view of Market Street

Preserving Our Past, Focusing on the Future

The time for this vision is now. Longo says, “There will not be an investment in Clinton within the next five years as large as the Magnet Mills Site.”  What was once a major economic booster for Anderson County and held a happy place in many people’s hearts, now sits as a dilapidated and vacant piece of property. However, the condition of the Magnet Mills site does not have to stay that way forever. With the Downtown Vision, the historical site could become the hub of the city once again. Longo says, “Once more people are living in downtown, shops and businesses will come.” The renderings for the Vision show what the Magnet Mills site could look like at its full potential.

        

Two Futuristic views of the attractive riverfront promenade on the Magnet Mills site.

 

Bringing People Back to Anderson County

 The Downtown Vision will be a big change for all of us in Anderson County. Changes are already in store for the City with the development of the new “Green Bridge.”

Anderson County Chamber of Commerce President, Rick Meredith says, “With the new bridge, now is the perfect time to throw in new streetscape plans. The plans for the new bridge will make the City of Clinton inviting. We want to continue the inviting feeling throughout the rest of our downtown. This involves medians, bike lanes, and etc. You make downtown more inviting and more people, along with business, will build here,”

And that’s what it all comes down to. Growth. The City of Clinton is growing and so is Anderson County. At some point, we have to embrace the growth. The future generation will either decide to live and work in Anderson County or decide to leave. We have the vision to give many people in Anderson County a city where people can work, live, and play. Be a part of the vision. Clinton: The Downtown Vision, that is.