Chattanooga planners endorse zoning change for East Brainerd housing projects

Staff file photo / Rock Point Homes owner Gabe Thomas speaks with the Times Free Press at the company's Baldwin Park housing development in 2021 in Hixson. Thomas' RP Homes won approval for residential townhouse zoning in East Brainerd.
Staff file photo / Rock Point Homes owner Gabe Thomas speaks with the Times Free Press at the company's Baldwin Park housing development in 2021 in Hixson. Thomas' RP Homes won approval for residential townhouse zoning in East Brainerd.

Chattanooga planners Monday endorsed zoning changes to allow more multifamily and townhouse development on a pair of largely vacant lots near commercial properties in East Brainerd.

RP Homes won approval for a residential townhouse zoning to allow the Chattanooga development company to build 88 two- and three-bedroom townhomes behind the Walmart Neighborhood Market in the 8100 block of East Brainerd Road. Developers said the proposed townhouse project on nearly 11.9 acres along East Brainerd Road and Kinsey Drive could be under construction by early 2023, if the Chattanooga City Council approves the recommendation for a townhouse development district from the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.

Mike Price, an engineering consultant for the project, said the proposed development was scaled back from an original 143-unit design to 88 units. But the development will still cost more than $25 million to design and build in the growing East Brained area.

"This is an attractive site, and the East Brainerd area continues to have a strong demand for housing," he said.

Gabe Thomas, president of RP Homes, said in a telephone interview Monday that the townhomes are likely to be around 1,500 to 2,000 square feet each with options for two, three or four bedrooms. He isn't sure yet if the units will be sold or rented.

RP Homes has developed a rental community of townhomes in the East Brained area along Shallowford Road called the Guild.

photo Staff file photo / Patrons enter the new building during the grand opening of the Walmart Neighborhood Market off of East Brainerd Road in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on September 9, 2015.

"We're seeing very strong demand at the Guild, which rented up very quickly, and the overall housing market remains strong," Thomas said. "I think it's still very hard to find housing right now in this market, and we still don't have enough supply to meet the demand."

Price said East Brainerd remains one of the strongest real estate markets in the Chattanooga area.

To help meet that demand, a multifamily housing project is being proposed in the 2500 block of Gunbarrel Road, just north of the Waterside shopping center along Shallowford Road.

Napier Associates gained approval from the Planning Commission on Monday for a sewer right of way to accommodate the development of the largely vacant site for what developers said will be a multifamily housing project. Details on the size of the development have yet to be disclosed, but access to the property will also include an entrance through Elam Lane off of the Waterside shopping center.

Last month, Napier Associates sold a number of sites along Gunbarrel Road for $7.5 million to an investment group known as Gunbarrel Apartments Residences LLC.

While the Planning Commission endorsed housing projects in East Brainerd, the panel agreed to delay until next month consideration of a rezoning request for a 20-unit apartment complex at Central Avenue and 4th Street after hearing concerns from a number of neighbors to the project. Property owner Aaron Nesbitt is seeking to rezone the site to allow for a four-story structure.

Fortwood Neighborhood homeowners voiced concerns about the height of the building and the traffic and parking problems it might produce. The site is near the historic Fortwood district, and planners urged that the developer to come back in September with plans to reassure neighbors about the look of the new structure and how it will handle parking for residents.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, who lives in the area, said he supports more multifamily housing near downtown and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but he wants to make sure the development fits into the neighborhood.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340. Follow on Twitter at @dflessner1.

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