Northshore Heights, a new, 77-home, upper-end North Chattanooga housing development, ceremoniously broke ground Tuesday.
The planned community of eventual craftsman- and tudor-style houses (with price points ranging from somewhere north of $300,000 to around $550,000) is located on 10 acres off Dartmouth Street. The project's start of home construction comes two years after developers first announced intentions to build a $20 million subdivision on the site.
Southside-based GreenTech Homes owns and is developing the property. GreenTech also is handling all construction at Northshore Heights.
The project overcame early objections from surrounding neighbors, who back in 2014 said they feared the influx of new homes would magnify existing traffic troubles in the old urban neighborhood. A hidden cemetery located near the entrance of Northshore Heights also at one point gave pause to progress, though it was ultimately determined by city officials and historians the historic cemetery would not be affected by the construction of new homes on the adjacent property.
And now, the first two homes at Northshore Heights are nearing completion.
Jeremy Fitzsimmons, new construction consultant at The Lea Team - Keller Williams Realty, said Tuesday the first two homes are expected to be finished sometime in the next two months.
He said Northshore Heights is a unique project in North Chattanooga - one that, thanks to extensive site work by the developers, features flat lots and lawns.
"Your typical way of solving the demand and needs of the home buyers in North Chattanooga," said Fitzsimmons, "you grab one or two lots on the street, and it's tough to develop that with so little space."
Instead, GreenTech pieced together a larger piece of land and went to work carving out a 77-lot community, featuring walking trails, a dog park, a community pavilion and an overlook at the crest of Notting Hill.
Construction will see homes added in phases, with Phase I beginning now and including 16 homes (including the two homes slated to be finished soon).
Homes in the development will be a mix of speculative and pre-sale homes. There are six floor plans available, with footprints ranging from 2,200-square-feet to 3,200-square-feet options. Fitzsimmons said potential buyers can tweak basic plans to create a custom build.
He pointed to consistent and strong demand for homes in North Chattanooga, supported by rave reviews of Normal Park Museum Magnet School.
"People will move to Chattanooga for Normal Park," Fitzsimmons said. "It's a super big draw."
He also said home owners move into the area to get nearer to Frazier Avenue and downtown.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.