by Dana Wilbourn
posted September 19, 2008
The Lookout Mountain, Ga. City Council on Thursday voted to hire attorney Michael Stewart of the Chambliss, Bahner and Stophel law firm to draft an ordinance for the Chapelbrow planned urban development. The cost would be around $5,000.
Mayor Tom Gifford said he made the recommendation after talking with City Attorney William Pickering about Mr. Stewart and with Frank Brock and the developers of the PUD, as well as Phil Walker who is under contract with the city for the center city redevelopment. The council had authorized the mayor last month to contact several parties capable of drafting the ordinance and make his recommendation.
Mr. Stewart has a degree in community development, Mayor Gifford said. He is local and will be easily accessible. "We don’t want to get into a situation where we have to make quick decisions," he said.
Councilman Daniel Pettway said Mr. Stewart’s job will be to formalize in a legal document what Lookout officials want in standards for the PUD. What is done for Chapelbrow, he said, is only for Chapelbrow and may not be the standard for future developments.
He urged the council to consider a master plan for undeveloped areas of the city. “We need to ask ourselves,” he said, “what we value about this community.”
Mr. Brock was present and reiterated the developers' plan for the PUD. He said the PUD will include an assisted living facility with 60 to 80 beds and homesites for about 175 single-family and multiple-family homes. An amenities package is crucial to the development, he said. That includes sidewalks and an eating facility and could include a hair salon, a grocery market and other shops. It is hoped that library facilities and large meeting facilities could be used at Covenant College and not have to be included within the PUD.
In the mayor’s report, Mayor Gifford said there are ongoing meetings with the architects and with the Georgia Community Affairs division concerning the downtown redevelopment. The architects have some preliminary sketches of city hall and he is asking department heads for comments. Georgia Community Affairs division is providing information on money available and loan rates.
Dana Wilbourn
dbwilbourn@yahoo.com
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