Community Planning Initiative

The Community Planning Initiative (CPI) was a collaboration between participating Tennessee RiverTowns communities and the Tennessee RiverLine team to develop a local vision for North America’s next great regional trail system. At the conclusion of this two-phase planning initiative, participating communities were empowered with an understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and aspirations relative to their relationship with the Tennessee River, and were provided access to the resources necessary to make progress toward making those aspirations a reality. The program began in the summer of 2022 and concluded in the winter of 2023 with a set of conceptual designs for each community’s priority placemaking project.

Priority Placemaking Projects

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All Tennessee River communities enrolled in the Tennessee RiverTowns Program in January 2021 were invited to participate in the Community Planning Initiative. The following nine communities participated in CPI during 2022-2023. Each community selected a priority placemaking project for the Tennessee RiverLine Planning & Design Team to study and develop conceptual designs. These concepts aim to help each community develop its reach of the Tennessee RiverLine and to enhance their community’s “River as Park.”

See the links below to access the materials created for each participating community, including the 652 to YOU reports, Community Design Workshop surveys, and conceptual design packages.

Bridgeport, AL - River Park & Boat Ramp Conceptual Plan
Calvert City, KY - Haddox Ferry Park Conceptual Plan
Clifton, TN - Ross Creek Park Conceptual Plan
Decatur, AL - Rhodes Ferry Park Conceptual Plan
Guntersville, AL - Bucky Howe Park Conceptual Plan
Hardin County, TN - Countywide Trail Framework Plan
Huntsville, AL - East Harbor at Ditto Landing Conceptual Plan
Roane County, TN - Kingston Waterfront Park Conceptual Plan
The Shoals, AL - Old Railroad Bridge Conceptual Plan

Phase One: June – September, 2022.

CPI began in the Phase One communities listed below with a public engagement program called 652 to YOU. 652 to YOU was an opportunity for community leaders and residents to provide feedback about existing recreation experiences and infrastructure on or along the river and share ideas for their improvement and expansion by participating in a series of interactive events and activities facilitated by our team. After each 652 to YOU program, recommendations for how each community can make progress toward their aspirations related to the Tennessee RiverLine vision were shared, and a list of potential projects was identified based on the community’s shared vision for their section of the Tennessee RiverLine. These projects included new riverfront parks, campsites and access points, connective trails and greenways, and other asset-based infrastructure investments.

Phase Two: October 2022 – October 2023.

During Phase Two, the Tennessee RiverLine team continued collaborating with Phase One communities as well as three additional communities that completed the 652 to YOU program in 2019, for a total of nine communities. This collaboration included the development of a conceptual design, funding strategy, and grant application materials for a single priority Tennessee RiverLine project in each participating community. These materials can be used by community partners to build public support and make progress toward project implementation.

CPI was made possible by funding through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, as well as through the generous support of 3M Decatur with funds from the 3M Foundation, and the Tennessee RiverLine’s principal partners, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Thank you to our CPI Supporters

CPI was made possible by funding through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, as well as through the generous support of 3M Decatur with funds from the 3M Foundation and the Tennessee RiverLine’s principal partners, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.