A low-lying, wooded site near Parkridge East Hospital is targeted for a 95-unit apartment complex as more infill development is planned in East Ridge.
Developer Ethan Collier said Wednesday he hopes to begin work by next spring on a $13 million apartment complex on 4.4 acres in the 6000 block of Graston Avenue.
"We're looking to help meet a need for more workforce housing close to Chattanooga in this growing part of East Ridge right next to the hospital," Collier said in a telephone interview. "This will offer all of the advantages of living in East Ridge, which we see as a great community, especially with the new (Chattanooga Red Wolves) stadium and other development around Camp Jordan."
Pending regulatory approval, Collier said he hopes to be able to open the new apartments in early 2024. Rental rates for the one- and two-bedroom apartments have not yet been set, Collier said.
The East Ridge City Council voted unanimously Monday to rezone the vacant parcel Collier wants to allow for the apartment development. Collier will still have to bring in fill dirt to lift the property now located in the floodplain of East Ridge, and he will have to gain credits and approval for sewer service from the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority, which provides municipal sewage for East Ridge and other areas of the county.
The site along Graston Avenue is in a flood zone and will require 12 feet of fill dirt. Under the fill dirt, an underground detention pond will be erected to contain stormwater, city officials said.
In a presentation to the City Council, Tiffany J. Farley of AD Engineering said the new R-3 residential zone for the multi-family housing "is compatible with this area" and will allow for sufficient development to justify the expense of the fill dirt and sewer upgrades needed to develop the site.
"This is a mixed-use area that is close to the stadium and the hospital and this project will allow the area to offer a more diverse housing mix," Farley told the City Council. "This will allow the area to have a more diverse housing option."
There was no neighborhood opposition voiced to the City Council about the zoning change, which was previously endorsed by the East Ridge Planning Commission.
"I'm excited about this project and I think it's appropriate for this area," East Ridge Vice Mayor Mike Chauncey said during the council meeting.
The East Ridge City Council also voted Monday to rezone a site in the 600 block of Layfield Road from R-1 single-family residential to an R-3 residential apartment district. But the developer, EPG Homes LLC, isn't planning rental apartments. The zoning will be used instead to try to develop the lot with zero-lot townhomes to be built and sold for around $250,000 to $260,000 each.
Home builder Evan Greene, who has already built 67 other homes in East Ridge, said the proposed townhomes on Layfield Road just southeast of Camp Jordan will be sold as single-family homes with a homeowners association.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340. Follow him on Twitter @DFlessner1.