Hoping to make downtown prettier, the Rossville City Council passes sweeping zoning change [document]

Staff photo by Tim Barber /
This view of Rossville includes buildings in the first two blocks of Rossville Blvd. south of the Tennessee state line.
Rossville city council is making an effort, with a U.S. Treasury "opportunity zone" tax discounts if new businesses will move in to the dated commercially zoned buildings of the north Georgia city. — Staff photo by Tim Barber / This view of Rossville includes buildings in the first two blocks of Rossville Blvd. south of the Tennessee state line. Rossville city council is making an effort, with a U.S. Treasury "opportunity zone" tax discounts if new businesses will move in to the dated commercially zoned buildings of the north Georgia city. Staff photo by Tim Barber / This view of Rossville includes buildings in the first two blocks of Rossville Blvd. south of the Tennessee state line. Rossville city council is making an effort, with a U.S. Treasury "opportunity zone" tax discounts if new businesses will move in to the dated commercially zoned buildings of the north Georgia city.

By Tyler Jett August 13, 2018 4 min read

The Rossville City Council approved a plan Monday night that Mayor Teddy Harris believes could give the community a North Shore vibe.

The elected officials unanimously voted to adopt stricter zoning ordinances for businesses near the state line off Rossville Boulevard, Chickamauga Avenue and McFarland Avenue. New codes ban gas stations, car dealerships, car washes, mechanic’s shops, warehouses and fields of parking lots in the area.

Harris said the council had not adopted ordinance in more than 30 years. Some old rules on the books contradicted each other. Still others may not have been legal anymore. Overall, he said, the council hopes to make downtown look more attractive.

“It will change the character of downtown,” he said.

Councilman Brad Buff, one of the main architects of the plan, said keeping such businesses out of the main corridors of the city will encourage more residents to walk around downtown. The council hopes the changes create a small-town feel. Its members don’t want large lots and bright lights.