Chattanooga is enjoying a robust movement to plan developments in a number of downtown neighborhoods, and there is good reason to believe that well designed development should be welcomed. The opposite is also true, that bad or poorly designed development should not be welcomed, especially if it seriously degrades the existing neighborhood.
In the case of a sought after rezoning in a long established Northside Neighborhood, the proposed abandonment of the historic plat of the community allowing 12 single family lots to be replaced by over 30 RTZ zoned townhouses, now completely surrounded by the existing single family neighborhood, is not good urban design on a number of levels. It certainly does not create any positive results for the existing homeowners, and more than doubles the existing allowable density at the direct expense of neighborhood values. The existing infrastructure cannot currently support such a dense development, and the lack of adequate parking on the proposed site will be a burden on the neighborhood forever.
This is not the time to defer a decision on this matter. It is the clear responsibility of the public bodies, the Planning Commission and the City Council, to say no to this ill advised plan now; it is not in the public interest.
The developer knew exactly what he was buying, which was 12 lots in a long established community.
This is neither the time nor the place to let bad development degrade our neighborhoods. This is not the Chattanooga Way. Just say no to RTZ here.
Garnet Chapin
Urban Designer and
Northside Neighborhood Association Officer