East Ridge looks to make city more walkable with ordinance

Continuing its push toward a more attractive business district, the city of East Ridge recently passed an ordinance that officials hope will also make the city more pedestrian-friendly.

The ordinance, which passed unanimously at the Sept. 26 East Ridge City Council meeting, will require new businesses within the business district to have a minimum setback of five feet from the road. Assistant City Manager Kenny Custer said this would allow businesses to have rear parking and would make the city more walkable.

The city has already received several grants to pay for sidewalks along Kingwood Drive to McBrien Road. And there are plans to apply for more than $1 million in grant money in the upcoming year for sidewalks along Ringgold Road, Custer said.

Over the past few years, the city has adopted and updated various ordinances to create a standard for how the business district will look in the future, setting standards for building requirements, signs and zonings, Custer said.

At the Sept. 26 meeting, the council also unanimously passed an ordinance to clarify that Airbnb stays in East Ridge qualify for the hotel occupancy tax. The Municipal Technical Advisory Services, which counsels governments statewide, recommended that the city make this clarification since the original ordinance didn’t specifically outline short-term rentals and bed-and-breakfast establishments as falling under the tax.

Currently, there are eight short-term rentals in the city and zero true bed-and-breakfast homes, Custer said, adding that the city has already contacted each of them regarding the new tax. Moving forward, when a resident lists their home on a website for short-term rental stays, the city will contact them to ensure they fill out the proper permits and meet zoning requirements, he said.

Contact Sabrina Bodon at sbodon@timesfreepress.com.