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Chattanooga churches answer the call: Affordable housing initiatives in action

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Matthew Lanier, right, and his daughter Jewel, 6, offer tomatoes to Bevelle Puffer, left, at their booth during a community pancake breakfast and a farmers market held at St. Albans Episcopal Church in Hixson on July 15. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Matthew Lanier, right, and his daughter Jewel, 6, offer tomatoes to Bevelle Puffer, left, at their booth during a community pancake breakfast and a farmers market held at St. Albans Episcopal Church in Hixson on July 15.

By Joan McClane September 16, 2023 20 min read

The priest felt torn as he watched the stranger rail against the prayerfully made plans being presented for approval.

“These people are telling us they want to drop in low-income, government-subsidized 140-unit housing,” Patrick Owings told a half-interested regional planning commission from behind a podium in April, sounding exasperated while ending his allowed three minutes after waiting three hours to speak.

“Citizens out there do not want this!” he said. “It does not fit!”

St. Alban’s, a small, tight-knit Episcopal congregation tucked along Hixson Pike in northern Hamilton County, and its leader, the Rev. Robert Hartmans, wanted the planning commission to allow a zoning change request, making redevelopment of the church property possible.

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