Chattanooga leaders will soon decide whether to issue a formal request for a developer and service provider as they look to convert a vacant, derelict motel at 7725 Lee Highway into about 70 units of permanent supportive housing.
The Chattanooga City Council had been scheduled to vote on issuing a request for proposals during its Tuesday meeting, but members opted to defer the item by one week to give them time to further discuss the details of the request. The panel plans to meet at 1 p.m. next Tuesday in the first-floor conference room at 1000 Lindsay St. to review the item.
"We're going to take a really close look at making sure the developer that applies has the financial capacity, has the vision and has the service providing expertise to take on a project that we have outlined," Mayor Tim Kelly's chief of staff, Joda Thongnopnua, said in an interview.
He said the administration hopes to have a developer and service provider selected by March.
"I think we can't move quickly enough in terms of making sure that permanent supportive housing units are available," Thongnopnua said. "We obviously want to do it right."
The council rezoned the property in November after hearing feedback from nearby residents, who expressed a range of concerns about the people it would serve and the feasibility of the location, as well as homeless advocates, who said the project acts as a significant step forward in the effort to assist the city's growing homeless population. The city originally purchased the land in 2021 for almost $2.8 million.
City officials held a public meeting in October about the project and hosted another pair of listening sessions Nov. 30 and Dec. 14 to help gather input in seeking project proposals.
According to the city, 48 people attended those discussions and offered a lengthy list of suggestions, including expectations for the service provider and residents, desired on-site resources, building improvements, daily management of the complex and ongoing ways to keep the community engaged in the project.
"There were a lot of really good suggestions around transportation and services for workforce development," Thongnopnua said. "We also heard some criticisms -- this was not the right location, that there were major safety issues -- but we did not find that those concerns were substantiated at the end of the day."
A summary posted online by the city contains a bullet-pointed list of 43 suggestions spread across five categories. One involves ensuring residents have access to transportation so they can easily get to food, shopping and appointments. That could be through coaching residents on using the transit authority's dial-a-ride service, purchasing vans to provide regularly scheduled rides or adding a new bus stop within walking distance of the complex.
Community members have also asked the city provide 24/7 onsite security with increased patrol of the area by the police department. Additionally, suggestions have included offering residents services like Wi-Fi and computers, 24/7 access to case workers and mental health staff, and on-site child care if residents with children are permitted.
Thongnopnua said the total cost to the city is unclear, but officials have outlined about $5.5 million of rehabilitation needs for the property. He doesn't anticipate the city will end up paying for the entire cost of the rehab.
"We anticipate the developer will bring financing to rehabilitate the building, but we will see," he said. "There's a variety of approaches the developer could take in the (request for proposals), and that's why we do this process."
On Tuesday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press requested a copy of the most up-to-date version of the request for proposals, which the council is now reviewing. The city's staff declined to make the document public at this time, with Thongnopnua stating the city didn't want to give potential applicants an unfair advantage by publicizing a draft before it was final. Releasing it early would violate state procurement law, he said.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.