Residents, businesses sound off over new downtown Chattanooga zoning plan

Proposed form-based codes for downtown Chattanooga would move building to streets, create walkable and bike-friendly streets and sidewalks with ample green space.
Proposed form-based codes for downtown Chattanooga would move building to streets, create walkable and bike-friendly streets and sidewalks with ample green space.

As the Chattanooga City Council moves closer to adopting a new zoning plan for the most developed areas of downtown, home and business owners are sharpening their concerns about details of the proposal.

More than a dozen residents told council members Tuesday afternoon that they are worried the new zoning plan does not require developers to provide enough parking.

"It is expensive to provide parking, but it is the quality of life of our residents that we need to think about," said JoBeth Kavanaugh, who lives on Martin Luther King Boulevard and has been involved in home restoration in the Fort Wood area.

Several others said they are concerned the new plan will reduce input from local residents about proposed zoning changes and shift it to a zoning committee that may not represent local interests.

"There seems to be a decision-making shift from the communities in which we have residents and neighbors and businesses, to a centralized committee structure that may not be sensitive to the needs of the city," said Robert Drake, a North Shore resident.

The city has spent months considering a new zoning plan known as a form-based code. Where traditional zoning establishes areas where certain types of activity can take place, such as residential, commercial and industrial, a form-based code is more concerned with the urban streetscape and how pedestrians and motorists interact with it, with less concern about what goes on in the buildings themselves.

City planners say the proposed new code will give them many more tools to use to build cohesive urban neighborhoods. "We have 23 zoning possibilities for our suburban areas and only three for downtown," said John Bridger, executive director of the Regional Planning Agency. As the city's top zoning official and the leading proponent of the new code, Bridger spent most of the afternoon at the podium answering questions from council members about its details.

The form-based code would only apply to the more-developed areas of the city, Bridger said, including downtown and the adjoining urban neighborhoods - the North Shore, Southside down to Interstate 24, and east toward the railroad overpass.

That area is seeing a dramatic increase in new construction, including several thousand housing units and small-scale retail stores. But since the new code changes the zoning for every parcel of property in the area, lots of home and land owners are worried about the future.

Some property owners on the North Shore, for example, told the council that restrictions limiting the height of anything they build on their property to only three stories would restrict their ability to develop the site. But several nearby residents applauded the lower height limits, saying they were worried about losing their views of the mountain, river and downtown.

Bridger was asked to bring the council new proposals for parking, including long-term bicycle parking, and to consider new ways to guarantee neighborhood input for any major new development. Several council members said they would offer amendments to the zoning plan to address those issues before the council votes on the plan later this month.

The council members also were asked to take their time exploring the proposed new rules before making anything final. "There is no need for a rush to judgment," said urban designer Garnet Chapin. "We're building the city of the future, so let's get it right."

Contact staff writer Steve Johnson at 423-757-6673, sjohnson@timesfreepress.com, on Twitter @stevejohnsonTFP, and on Facebook, facebook.com/noogahealth.

Upcoming Events