The Hamilton Place area will see 90 garden-style apartments if rezoning of a 9-acre parcel is approved. (Contributed rendering by Pratt)
A Chattanooga development group is seeking rezoning for a so-called new type of garden-style apartment complex on a tract of land off Shallowford Road in the Hamilton Place area.
"The plan is to go to a higher-end apartment development in a different way than what has ever been done before" in Chattanooga, said Mike Price of MAP Engineers, about the 90-unit complex.
Price, who is working with developers Pratt Home Builders and Marcus Lyons, said the units are all single story "garden-style homes" with a small, screened back yard.
The units will offer more privacy, amenities and green space than typical apartments, he said.
Lyons said the project is estimated at about $11 million when fully built out.
"There is an immediate need in the community for this product type," he said.
One- and two-bedroom units will be offered, Price said. Rents are expected to range from $1,000 to $1,300 per month, he said.
The project is requesting a change in zoning for nearly 9 acres from R-1 residential to R-3 residential, according to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. The site is located off Shallowford Road and Murray Lane near an assisted living facility.
Planning agency staff is recommending approval of the proposal, which is slated to be heard Monday before the Planning Commission. Staff also lists several conditions, including maximum density of no more than eight dwelling units per acre.
"The Hamilton Place Community Plan recommends medium-density residential for this location," the planning agency staff said. They said the proposed use is compatible with adjacent multi-family residential and institutional uses.
According to the agency, a previous application to rezone the property to R-3 in 2017 was deferred for a traffic study, but later was withdrawn. In 2013, a request to rezone the site to R-3 for a 262-unit apartment building was denied by the city council. Staff had recommended approval with conditions in that case.
Price said units will range in size from 700 to 1,200 square feet.
He said the proposal is "transitioning down from high-density apartments . "
If the project receives approvals, including by the city council, work could start early next year, Price said.
"It's a different-type product," he said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.