The Gadsden City Council in late June voted to borrow $1.65 million toward the purchase of prime real estate along the Coosa River with plans to develop retail, restaurants and recreation spots near downtown.

Gadsden’s latest plans are just beginning to take shape, but several Alabama cities and towns have already discovered that rivers bring a flow of tourism and economic development while also enhancing the quality of life in their areas.

Montgomery’s Harriott II riverboat

Just watch the huge steam boats pull up to the river banks for leisure cruises in Decatur and Montgomery. You’ll see lots of people smiling and hear music playing as they board or disembark.

In Tuscaloosa, the river banks hosts everything from farmers markets with season ripe fruit and veggies to sold-out concerts featuring Grammy Award-winning artists.

But the state’s biggest impact from river development has come with the Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway, which connects Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Mobile with a route for commerce while also providing jobs and recreation venues in central Alabama.

Around the holidays, more than 30,000 people descend on the central Alabama town of Demopolis for Christmas on the River and the seemingly endless nautical parade of boats and floats on the river. Throughout the year, that same river is a source employment and transportation to boost the state’s economy.

Rivertown recreation makes good business

A study conducted by researchers at Troy University found that the waterway yielded an estimated impact of more than $15 billion from 1996 to 2008. At the same time, the waterway was directly linked to the creation of more than 8,000 jobs in Alabama and about 30,000 throughout the Southeast, the Troy study found.

Leaders in Tuscaloosa are expecting huge economic benefits from the construction of a $42 million mixed use development called Riverfront Village at the corner of Greensboro Avenue and Jack Warner Partner. The site, located just minutes away from the University of Alabama was once the home of Tuscaloosa Chevrolet. It is now becoming a mix of upscale townhomes and apartments, restaurants, boutiques, larger stores and a parking deck.

The main goal is to provide facilities and activities that attract people to the area, said Robin Jenkins, director of communications marketing for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

While the Tuscaloosa area has experienced the growth of new developments on the river, there has also been expansion in some of the more established venues. The Cypress Inn, a restaurant known for years for its Southern cuisine, added a venue called the Pavilion to host weddings, corporate events and other gatherings with a spectacular view of the Black Warrior River.

The city of Montgomery has also seen big growth in tourism and retail traffic as a result of its river development.

About 15 years ago, plans for the riverwalk began to take shape and development has expanded over the past five to 10 years said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The City of Montgomery is planning and building amenities on the riverfront with a price tag of more than $35 million .

“We attract visitors to the Riverfront, but it is also a place where families in the area come and enjoy their day,” Hathcock said.

Several amenities have been built or enhanced along the Tennessee River in Decatur, and more are being planned area leaders along a two-mile stretch near downtown, area leaders say.

“At one end we have Ingalls Harbor. It has great event space, a boat harbor and lots of space for recreation,” says Rick Paler, executive director of Decatur Downtown. “It draws a lot of people for major fishing tournaments and other events.”

On the opposite end of the river development in Decatur near the intersection of Alabama Highway 20 and U.S. 31, you’ll find Rhodes Ferry Park. “It’s like having bookends,” Paler said.

A highway separates the river front developments from the main downtown area retail district. Paler said plans are now underway to build a pedestrian bridge to connect the two so that residents and visitors can easily travel by foot throughout the area.

“This enhances the quality of life, and it brings people to the area,” Paler said. “That’s what we want to see.”

-Sherrel Stewart