Chattanooga will donate 11 city properties for affordable housing projects

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Chattanooga Chief Housing Officer Nicole Heyman gives the keynote presentation during the Chattanooga Affordable Housing Symposium at the Ultra Club at Finley Stadium on Sept. 19, 2024. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Chattanooga Chief Housing Officer Nicole Heyman gives the keynote presentation during the Chattanooga Affordable Housing Symposium at the Ultra Club at Finley Stadium on Sept. 19, 2024.

By David Floyd September 20, 2024 5 min read

As housing costs outstrip wages, Chattanooga officials will donate 11 properties to developers interested in building affordable homes or apartments in the city.

Chief Housing Officer Nicole Heyman said the city will begin accepting proposals from builders in October with plans to distribute the land in January. The available properties include parcels in Alton Park and East Chattanooga.

“We are proud to be adding one more tool to the toolkit for affordable housing in our city,” Heyman said during a housing symposium Thursday morning.

Apartments built on the properties must be affordable to renters making 80% or less of the area median income, which is about $56,000. That’s around the typical wage for a plumber or a teacher, according to city data. Those apartments must remain affordable for 10 years.