More than 150 townhomes are planned in a pair of Chattanooga projects as developers seek to fill what they see as a need in the city's hot housing market.
Both developments, approved by the city's Form-Based Code Committee on Thursday, are just outside the downtown core.
A 99-unit project is planned for a tract around 100 Peerless Ave. on the North Shore, Kaitlin Sims, a civil engineer for the firm LaBella Associates, said at a meeting of the panel.
Plans are to put the townhomes on several parcels assembled in the area that's in a mixed industrial and low-density residential location a few blocks off Cherokee Boulevard.
The units, slated to average from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, not including garage space, will sit on each side of Peerless, according to the site plan.
"We'll create an urban walkable community," Sims said.
Jim Williamson, the committee's chairman, said the proposed project provides density and homeownership as Sims indicated the units will be for sale.
Diane Slover, who lives nearby on Stringer Street, questioned at the meeting how the planned development will affect property belonging to her and husband Charles.
She said she's concerned about how the proposed development will drain away stormwater.
Charles Slover said the couple had lived on Stringer for 35 years, and he recalled flooding in the area in 2004.
"I've got a picture of these buildings under water," he said. "I'm pretty sensitive of runoff."
Sims said the project will meet the necessary requirements in terms of stormwater.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga's median home price tops $300,000 for the first time)
Saba Loghman of Empire Communities in Atlanta, which is associated with the project, said after the meeting he couldn't immediately comment on the prices for the townhomes.
Staff photo by Mike Pare / A 55-unit townhome development is planned for a vacant tract at the corner of McCallie and Central avenues. The site near UTC is shown on April 14.The second townhome development is a 55-unit project by locally based RP Homes at 1001 McCallie Ave.
"We're improving the McCallie Avenue corridor," Sims said about that development.
Williamson said the location, a vacant lot at McCallie and Central avenues, was at one time pegged to hold student housing for the nearby University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
In 2017, a Roanoke, Virginia, company proposed building a 456-bed, $38 million apartment building.
Wes Bradley, president of University Housing Group, said by phone at the time that the student housing market in the area was under-served.
However, the project was never built.
Sims declined further comment on that proposed new townhome development.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.