Chattanooga Eastdale site removed as future hospital site as Rep. Hakeem pushes back

Rep. Yusuf Hakeem said he felt like a site for a new state hospital for mental health was being “pushed on” him. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Tennessee officials are resuming the search for a mental health facility site to replace Moccasin Bend after dropping consideration of an Eastdale site in Chattanooga.

The state Department of General Services removed the site from contention last week shortly before Democratic state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem was to hold a town hall to hear concerns about putting the mental health institute in an area of his House District 28.

Hakeem opposed the site for a combination of reasons, including the impact of a mental health facility on people’s properties, poor communication from the state and access by a two-lane road with no sidewalks. The 150-acre tract is bordered by a train track and quarry too.

“It’s like they want to push it in my district,” Hakeem said, adding he and the community were “ready to fight.”

Hakeem said several other locations such as one near Erlanger Hospital and one on Amnicola Highway should be considered.

The state might still be looking at two other pieces of property near Eastdale, but Hakeem does not oppose those.

Tennessee Building Commission approves new Moccasin Bend Mental Health facility minus the site

Department of General Services spokesperson Michelle Parks confirmed Monday the state is evaluating multiple sites in Hamilton County. She added that state law prevents the department from discussing sites under consideration.

State Sen. Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican, said the state has looked at about 50 sites in Southeast Tennessee and will continue the search. At least 15 acres are needed for the hospital.

Watson said the state “never really evaluated” the Eastdale site because it was tied up with a development request through the local planning commission, then changed hands.

“Given the pushback and the concerns that the neighbors had, we never really got a chance to discuss it to any degree,” Watson said.

No public hearings were held on the property, he added. 

The state built the mental health institute at Moccasin Bend along the Tennessee River in 1961 and planned to expand it there until advocates called for the area to be preserved as much as possible because of its Native American history. The area is the site of a national archeological district and part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

The state had approved a Moccasin Bend expansion in 2023, but Gov. Bill Lee called for another location for the mental health facility because of the archeological review.