The City of Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department announces the opening of Lupton Mills Meadow at the former site of Lupton Mills in the community of Lupton City.
The park now features a 12-acre meadow with a short walking trail and provides abundant native plants and wildlife viewing.
“The people of Lupton City have advocated for full remediation of the mill site through years of eyesores, dust, and overgrowth.” District 2 Councilwoman Jenny Hill said. “Now we have a public meadow where residents can relax and create wonderful memories. It’s humbling to be a small part of something this transformational.”
After ceasing operations in 2009 as a former textile mill, the site faced demolition and environmental remediation. Following a Notice of Violation, the site entered Tennessee's Voluntary Oversight and Assistance Program (VOAP) in 2015, and asbestos was partially removed. Despite cleanup efforts, the site remained hazardous.
In 2019, the City of Chattanooga acquired the property and continued cleanup with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. This included addressing friable and non-friable asbestos, constructing an asbestos-containing materials area, and covering the site with geotextile fabric and topsoil fill.
“Extensive geotechnical and environmental investigation was put in to ensure that the Lupton City Site would be ready for its future use as a recreation area,” said Elizabeth Goss, Engineering Coordinator, of Public Works. “Public Works worked closely with environmental consultant, S&ME, and TDEC to develop a plan to ensure public safety and limit the pathways of exposure to contamination where it existed. Almost 50,000 cubic yards were imported from various City sites to cap the site and ensure that all areas had a minimum of 2 feet of cover across the site.”
The site is safe and now healing into a unique and evolving natural green space, featuring a diverse mix of mostly native plant species which began in May of 2023 followed by additional seeding in spring 2024. This innovative landscape healing approach by Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors uses native warm-season grasses, perennials, and annuals to stabilize the soil, reduce water runoff, and provide wildlife habitat.
These efforts also improve the biological health and diversity of the soil. As the meadow establishes, new species will begin to colonize the area including many migratory bird species that rely on native wildflowers on their annual migrations through the area.
“This is a very unique project as we are welcoming visits to a site that is evolving and growing,” said Scott Martin, Administrator Parks & Outdoors. “Residents will be part of a dynamic and changing site over the years as local plants and ecology will take the lead role in healing and restoring this former industrial site and turn it into a beautiful natural asset for wildlife and people alike.”
Lupton Mills Meadow features a 0.3 mile mowed path for walking and wildlife/plant viewing, a small parking area, and educational signs. The City of Chattanooga will continue to support further establishment and growth of the meadow as it engages with the community to shape future potential public uses of the site.
This event marks the first step of many future ecological improvements to occur at the site. The name Lupton Mills Meadow will also improve with a permanent name to be informed by the Lupton City Community over the coming months.