CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined several city leaders to mark the official donation of land on Missionary Ridge, a move that celebrates the permanent protection of Civil War battlefield terrain and other significant natural landscapes.
The agreement officially transfers ownership of five parcels of land, located across Districts 5 and 9, to the City of Chattanooga.
These properties—valued at just over $100,000—will now become part of the city’s Urban Ecology Preserve System.
As part of this system, the land will be permanently protected from future development.
“This protection can’t be undone—certainly not without a lot of work,” said Mayor Kelly during the event. “And I don’t know why you’d want to. As I always say, our natural spaces in Chattanooga are our competitive advantage. We are going to encourage more density where it makes sense—like apartments and other forms of housing we need for affordability—but where we need to preserve nature, we must preserve nature. This is a great example of that.”
The donation supports Chattanooga’s designation as North America’s first National Park City.
The mission of this land transfer is to further protect areas where history, nature, and neighborhoods intersect—ensuring they are preserved for generations to come.
