Some residents of St. Elmo and North Chattanooga said Monday it appears that officials are allowing houses to be "wedged into" the two historic communities, where property values have soared.
The Planning Commission on Monday, despite the opposition, approved variances on two projects in the popular communities.
DAMAR Properties was seeking to subdivide a .44-acre lot with frontage on two different streets into two buildable lots. The streets are Orchid Place and W. 57th Street in St. Elmo.
In order to subdivide the site, the developer had to get a variance on a 60-foot requirement for lot frontage since one side was 41 feet. That was granted.
A nearby St. Elmo resident said it appeared that variances were routinely granted and said developers were buying properties that did not meet requirements with knowledge they could get the waivers.
Planning Commission member Barry Payne disagreed, saying the panel often turns down variance requests.
Carolyn Tuppage said a trend was developing "of houses being built that overpower the lots. It's too big of a house on a small lot."
The developer said his firm had remodeled several St. Elmo homes and built a couple of new ones in the Craftsman style. He said one of the planned homes had been approved by the St. Elmo Historic Commission and he was going back to seek approval for the second.
He said, "We care about St. Elmo. We build homes that fit into the neighborhood."
Lawrence Wood owns .2-acre in North Chattanooga at Tucker Street and Rosewood Avenue and was seeking to get it approved for two new houses to be developed by Joseph Ingram.
The connection to Rosewood was just an eight-foot strip designed for a sewer connection. The eight feet was 27 feet under the required lot footage. However, it was approved.
Two Planning Commission members, including Chairman Ethan Collier, said they were surprised that small strips of land could be construed as giving frontage on a street for a buildable lot. Planning Agency officials said they will check with the city attorney's office on the issue.
One resident said the building frenzy is compromising the original 1910 and 1920 homes in that vicinity as well as an older Victorian one. She asked, "If you allow this variance, what standards are left?"
Neighbors said Rosewood is an extremely narrow street, and said proper infrastructure is not being put in place for all the new additions.
Mr. Wood said the objecting neighbors live in some of the new homes.
He said he did not think the commission was setting a bad precedent.