Officials of the Regional Planning Agency said Tuesday they will take a "deep dive" into current steep slope/floodplain regulations to see if they are being enforced.
Bryan Schultz, senior planner, said that was one of the messages at a public hearing last Tuesday.
He said the planning staff, at the same time, will continue towards having a draft of a new ordinance by around May.
City Councilman Darrin Ledford said, "We need to get some things right and we need some changes, but we are going to do this the right way by getting everyone to the table."
A number of citizens have said they are concerned that Chattanooga's unique topography, including its hills and stream beds, are at risk of being cut away or built upon.
Developers have cautioned about over-regulation, citing a cry for new housing and the fact that much of the developable land left is on hills or lowlands.
Mr. Schultz said the staff wants to arrange two possible tours for council members. One would be to sites around Chattanooga and another to Knoxville and Asheville to view steep slope/floodplain issues there and how they were handled.
Councilman Russell Gilbert said he gets many complaints from residents who say their property gets water or mud after a development goes in above them.
Jeremy Swilley of the city Land Development Office said the office investigates some 1,200 such complaints per year.
He said a few developers have a number of infractions. However, under current rules, those same developers are not prevented from picking up new building permits.
City Attorney Phil Noblett said if a builder meets all the stormwater requirements at the time of the project then the city has no recourse when there are later runoff problems.
Councilwoman Carol Berz said there needs to be a focus of making sure all current land development regulations are being enforced "before getting into this whole new steep slope thing."