Members of the Tyner/Silverdale neighborhood are being asked once again to cross their fingers and hope that a new proposal to convert the former Airport Inn on Lee Highway into permanent supportive housing will be safe and workable.
The proposal would donate the former motel to a partnership between the Woodbine Community Organization and Nelson Community Partners, both of Nashville, which, with $10 million in bonds approved by the city’s Health, Educational and Housing Facility Board, would renovate the property.
Only one public meeting, scheduled for today, stood between the approval of the bonds and approval by the Chattanooga City Council of the motel’s donation next Tuesday.
The city bought the building in 2021 to turn it into apartments for low-income people, it was said at the time.
“It’s difficult to get the market to provide something affordable and accessible for them,” Joda Thongnopnua, the mayor’s then-interim chief of staff, said at the time. “Whether it’s folks facing eviction or who fell on hard times and need housing with supportive services, this is a great potential option.”