Business improvement district legislation, controversial rezoning decisions on tap at Tuesday's Chattanooga City Council meeting

Chattanooga City Council members listen to Gail Goldman, principal of Gail M. Goldman Associates, Barbara Goldstein, principal of Barbara Goldstein & Associates, and Katelyn Kirnie, director of Public Art for the City of Chattanooga, address questions about public art across Chattanooga in the City Council Assembly Room Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019,  in Chattanooga.
Chattanooga City Council members listen to Gail Goldman, principal of Gail M. Goldman Associates, Barbara Goldstein, principal of Barbara Goldstein & Associates, and Katelyn Kirnie, director of Public Art for the City of Chattanooga, address questions about public art across Chattanooga in the City Council Assembly Room Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga City Council will vote for the final time on significant rezoning requests in St. Elmo and in Harrison at Tuesday's voting meeting and should discuss the latest version of the Business Improvement District legislation.

Here's what you should know about this week's council meetings:

» The council will have final readings of two controversial rezonings: One in St. Elmo that would change three properties on Tennessee Avenue from C-2 commercial to UGC commercial and one on Clark Road that would allow for a 234-unit apartment development and convenience store.

Both rezonings had opposition during last week's first reading, but were passed by the council.

» This meeting will be the last chance for public comment by non-property owners on the proposed Business Improvement District, which has brought comment from many members of the public and spurred debate over the public comment procedure set by the state for this issue and the city for other meetings.

The BID, which failed as a petition-based ordinance last month, was reintroduced as a council resolution almost immediately and will go to a first reading next week, taking it off the table for public comment. If it passes the first reading, the council will have a hearing for owners of property within the proposed district and a final vote, per state law, on July 30.

Council members will likely discuss the BID and amendments made since the last vote at the strategic planning meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The council will meet at 1:30 p.m. for the strategic planning meeting, 3 p.m. for the agenda meeting and 6 p.m. for the regular voting meeting. All meetings are in the City Council building at 1000 Lindsay St.

The full council agenda may be viewed at chattanooga.gov/city-council/agendasminutes.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.

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