After lengthy discussion on Monday before the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, historical neighborhood advocates won a victory in the Southside area when the commission narrowly rejected a request to allow developers to build a seven-story apartment building on the 1200 block of Cowart Street.
The Belle Investment Co. & BYD Coward, GP asked for special permission to build beyond the zone’s current 48-foot maximum height limit bringing more than 100 single-room studios and small apartments to the area.
Several commissioners were in favor of the development, praising the fact that housing would be increased in an area city leaders have been trying to encourage population growth. As an added bonus, the architect’s designs included a parking garage for residents inside the building, which would cut down on potential parking congestion.
County Commissioner Joe Graham spoke from the audience in support of the proposal, though he noted he could not vote on it and said, “You’ve got a developer who’s willing to put the parking in and build a structure on a vacant lot that’s been vacant since God made it."
He said, “You’ve got businesses and people looking for living space downtown. I don’t have a vote in this, but I would highly recommend it."
But not every person in the room was in favor of the seven-story plan. Thomas Johnson who owns several buildings on the 1200 block of Market Street, including Porker’s, right next to the development location, spoke out against the building.
He said that years ago he had worked to rezone the area as an historical district and now felt that the proposed building was not reflective of the existing buildings.
He said he was appalled when he saw the architect’s designs and said, “It seems completely out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood.”
Commissioner Don Moon echoed Mr. Johnson’s concerns and voted against the proposal saying, that he believes, “The urban core stops at 12th street. The development is a full block long and it will be domineering.
He said, “I just feel like it’s out of kilter. It’s just too huge.”
Ultimately the Commission voted 6-5 to reject the request for a height extension.
The Regional Planning Agency staff had recommended denial for the seven stories, but approval for the remainder of the request.
The staff noted the two closest five-story buildings are the Chattanoogan hotel and the TVA Building.