The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (RPA), on behalf of the City of Chattanooga, will work with a consultant team led by Code Studio of Austin, Tx., to develop a form-based code for five downtown neighborhoods. The downtown neighborhoods included in this project are North Shore, Riverfront, City Center, M.L. King and Southside.
In recent years, many Chattanooga citizens have participated in public meetings to create a shared vision for the Downtown area development that is urban, high quality and walkable. Unfortunately, the zoning that governs what can be built is out-of-date and not effective in promoting development that supports this vision. There are many instances where development has to go through time-consuming and costly variances (exceptions) to the current code to build the very types of development the community desires.
In addition, the mayor’s Chattanooga Forward initiative recommends replacing old zoning code with a new, better code that will promote a more vibrant downtown. To that end, the mayor’s office has asked the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency to spearhead an initiative to develop this new code, called a Form-Based Code, for Chattanooga’s urban core. The new zoning may also serve as a template for other existing or emerging urban centers throughout the region.
This initiative will kick off with a public meeting at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28 from 6-8 p.m. Select members of the project consultant team will introduce the project to the public and help explain the importance of this effort. This will be the first in a series of public meetings to be held throughout the project. The next public meeting will be a multi-day charrette and open house held March 7–12.
A multi-day charrette has been scheduled in order to allow the community to assist in the preparation of the new form-based code. A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens, planners and other technical professionals collaborate. Throughout the process, the public has a chance to give input and react to consultant concepts, leading to a more refined vision with many of the details for the new zoning. Charrettes are inclusive by nature and are designed to build consensus from the outset, providing a collaborative forum to bring all parties together with a focus on a common goal. The hands-on nature of the charrette, the opportunity to interact with differing perspectives and the short feedback loop allows issues to be identified and resolved early on in the process.
Starting Saturday, March 7 and ending Thursday, March 12, the consultant team will be in Chattanooga to work with citizens and stakeholders to discuss the new form-based code. All events are open to the public and will be held at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center located at 200 E. MLK Boulevard. The Bessie Smith Cultural Center is fully accessible, and parking is available in their lot on the corner of Lindsay and MLK Boulevard. Charrette events include:
Hands-on Neighborhood Design Workshop: Saturday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. until noon
Open Design Studio: Sunday, March 8 through Wednesday, March 11 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Lunch & Learns: Monday, March 9, Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 from noon to 1 p.m.
Drop-in Open House: Monday, March 9 from 6-8 p.m.
Work-in Progress Presentation: Thursday, March 12 from 6-7:30 p.m.
Additional details are available on the project website at www.CHA-FBC.com or from Karen Hundt at 423 643-5913 or hundt_karen@chattanooga.gov.