Chattanooga City Council approved an ordinance rezoning part of the property at 5749 Lavelle Field Loop from IH (Industrial Heavy) to OS (Open Space) to permit development of a publicly accessible airport observation park, the council heard.

Why it matters: The airport project, as presented to the council, includes an observation area overlooking the airfield, playgrounds, a covered pavilion, parking, a WWII memorial relocation and a static display aircraft for public visits. The airport said the park will provide a new community amenity and preserve a historical memorial that had been in storage.

Details presented to council

Jack McAfee, representing Chattanooga Airport, told the council the airport applied for and was awarded a Blue Cross Healthy Places grant — one of three selected from 86 applicants — receiving $1,200,000 plus a $200,000 maintenance fund for the park. McAfee said design work will be done by Impact Parks with PlayCore involved, and that construction is expected to begin after rezoning completion with an expected finish in 2026.

“We applied. We were awarded 1 of 3 out of 86 applicants. So we're incredibly excited about that. Received a $1,200,000 grant along with a $200,000 maintenance fund for the park,” McAfee said.

Project components described in the presentation include a covered pavilion, two playgrounds (for younger and older children), parking, a World War II memorial to be reinstalled on site, and a static display aircraft donated by a tenant that the airport plans to repaint and open to the public periodically.

Council action

Councilwoman Burrows moved approval; a second was recorded and the motion carried as read in the transcript. The ordinance text rezoned the parcel to Open Space; the transcript did not record a complete roll‑call tally. Council members expressed support and welcomed the project as a community amenity.

Next steps

With rezoning approved, airport staff said they will move forward to final design and construction scheduling under the city’s permitting process and the grant’s reporting requirements. The transcript indicates an expected construction completion in 2026 but does not provide a firm construction start date.

Speakers quoted in this article are limited to those who spoke on the record at the meeting.