Building plans draw outrage in community
Zoning changes dropped, nixed by planners
A Hamilton County builder has withdrawn a plan to put 153 residences on a former golf course amid opposition, and a controversial proposal to raise homes in North Chattanooga was denied Monday by local planners.
James Pratt of Pratt Development on Monday withdrew a plan to put apartments, townhomes and singlefamily homes on the 1001 Reads Lake Road site after more than two dozen people showed up at a meeting of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.
Pratt told the panel he will keep the current zoning, which apparently would allow him to build some units on the 32.3-acre tract. Pratt also had sought a special exemption permit for the residential planned unit development.
City Councilman Chip Henderson said he had talked with Pratt on Friday, and he didn’t know if the developer will move ahead to build on the parcel. He said he believed the existing C-2 zoning would permit the building of apartments.
“I don’t know if he has decided to withdraw the whole development or just develop as it’s zoned now,” Henderson said.
He said there’s no time limit under which Pratt could restart the rezoning process.
Pratt had sought to put 56 owneroccupied townhomes on the property. In addition, the plan called for 47 rental townhomes, 40 singlefamily units and 10 apartments.
He wanted to rezone 4.7 acres on the site to R-4 special zone. Pratt wanted to use the former clubhouse as an office and possibly later transition it to a multi-family structure or a clubhouse supporting a multi-family complex.
Steve Hunt, who lives near the land, said he was prepared to speak for opponents of the project for a variety of reasons.
Regional Planning Agency (RPA) staff had recommended approval of the rezoning pending a condition. It had sought to defer the special exemptions permit so design modifications could be addressed.
PLANNERS REJECT NORTH CHATTANOOGA REZONING
Meanwhile, GreenTech Homes, a development group, had sought new zoning for an 11.5-acre tract off Knickerbocker Avenue. It’s original plan was to put 42 units on the site, including single-family houses and townhomes, in a more than $20 million project when built out.
RPA staff had recommended the case be deferred until a more sufficient site plan could be developed. GreenTech officials at the meeting said they, too, wanted to defer the effort to rezone the site from R-1 to R-T/Z Residential.
However, Joe DeGaetano, who lives on Knickerbocker and was one of a number of people opposed to the project at the meeting, said there wasn’t a need to defer and sought a decision Monday.
He told the panel the site isn’t compatible with the existing singlefamily area and that the topography doesn’t lend itself to the high density development.
“What their proposal asks is to shoe-horn additional homes in there,” DeGaetano said. “It’s entirely out of character with the rest of the neighborhood.”
A representative for the developer said the company has heard the opposition and “we’re making progress,” adding that plans are for single-family detached homes on Knickerbocker and it’s proposing “a few townhouses” on Notting Hill.
However, a motion to deny the rezoning request was approved by the panel.
Chris Anderson, GreenTech’s director of development and government relations, said while the company respects the panel’s decision, plans are to build 11 houses on Knickerbocker.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6318.