Chattanooga City Council cautiously moves toward proposed low-income housing

Chattanooga City Councilman Anthony Byrd speaks to the impact on the community of Nippon Paint USA, which will invest $61 million in a plant on the former Harriet Tubman site in East Chattanooga. / Staff Photo by Robin Rudd Chattanooga City Councilman Anthony Byrd speaks to the impact on the community of Nippon Paint USA, which will invest $61 million in a plant on the former Harriet Tubman site in East Chattanooga. / Staff Photo by Robin Rudd

By Sarah Grace Taylor February 18, 2020 3 min read

A controversial low-income housing development in downtown Chattanooga is inching toward fruition, despite concerned neighbors.

The city council unanimously approved two resolutions on Tuesday night authorizing the city mayor to begin negotiations and a brownfield application in preparation for a proposed 60-unit, low-income housing development at the site of an old city-owned building.

The proposed development at 1815 Main St., the former site of Arcade Beauty, would be the product of the local psychosocial support nonprofit organization AIM Center and the Vecino Group, a Missouri-based development company that focuses on supportive residential developments with properties in seven states. It would have 15 units for people with mental illnesses and who are low-income citizens, with the rest open to others in need of low-income housing.

AIM Center, a group with more than 70 similar units already in Chattanooga, spurred the idea by reaching out to the city.

(MORE: Chattanooga, private partners seek to bring 60 affordable housing units to Main Street)