New Lookout Mountain, Ga., Resident To Lead Development Of Commercial Portion Of New Town Center

  • Friday, May 15, 2020
  • Gail Perry

After years of talking about it, the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Town Council is moving forward with what will be known as the Town Center. Mayor David Bennett is expecting to hear back soon from the USDA about a loan to build the new city hall and fire station. And at the council meeting Thursday night, a motion passed to continue discussions and negotiations with Scott Luedecke and his company, Urban Fabric Development, for development of the commercial spaces surrounding the municipal buildings.

 

Mr. Luedecke is a city planner currently living in Birmingham but has recently purchased a home in Lookout Mountain, Ga. His partner, David Versel is a developer from Atlanta who has 20 years of experience in developing mixed-use communities. After providing Town Attorney Bill Pickering, the mayor and Council member Arch Willingham with requested information, the consensus is that Mr. Luedecke is energetic and is committed to doing good things for the city, said Attorney Pickering.

 

Mr. Luedecke’s vision is for the area to become a “social hub” for residents. The initial plans include a craft beer and wine retail store with a full bar and a fun atmosphere. There will also be spaces for three casual restaurants such as for pizza, barbeque, burgers or Mexican food. The design includes areas for several small retail businesses, possibly a nursery or shop selling children’s toys and women’s clothing. Also planned is flex-space to rent out for private events or for recurring events such as ballet classes one night a week, or art and wine classes. On the second level will be five to eight small offices. Plans include having live music and events such as farmers markets. The goal is to cater mostly to locals at night and capture business from tourists and Covenant College students by day.

 

Council member Caroline Williams said, “The enthusiasm is what we were looking for. It makes me excited about it.” The sentiment was shared by each member of the council before handing the project to Mr. Luedecke. The vote did not agree to sell the property, but agreed that the city is committed to moving forward with this developer.

 

The council is trying to determine how the community sees the land known as “the Sims property” and if it should be used or not used for public space. The old buildings there were condemned and demolished and the city has a lien for the work it performed to clean up the property. Community volunteers heading the plan to build a network of trails throughout the town, Jimmy Campbell and Kenny Lee, have created a procedure with public forums on-site. Those are now planned for the second week of June to collect ideas. The live forums will be followed with a survey emailed to all residents. If the town uses the location, it will apply for a state grant to supplement contributions for whatever is built. The town already has funding in place and will be seeking input for gardens and trails to be built on Whitt Road across from Carter Field.

 

Food for students who need it is still being provided at Fairyland Elementary School, said Council member Williams who is the liaison with the school. A graduation parade has been planned to celebrate all fifth graders who will be leaving schools on the mountain next year. The parade is planned for Saturday, May 23, beginning at 11 a.m. at Fairyland School and ending at The Commons. It will be much like the annual Fourth of July parade with decorated cars and golf carts.

 

Statistics from the police and fire department showed the month of April was pretty uneventful, said Council member Taylor Watson. During the month, officers patrolled 4,502 miles, made 10 stops and there was one auto accident. Seven burglar alarms were checked, and police answered eight assist citizen calls and assisted Lookout Mountain, Tn., Police four times during the month. Four suspicious persons and 12 suspicious vehicles were checked and there were no burglaries. Three fire calls were answered in April.

 

The application from Lookout Mountain Club to sell retail beer and wine in addition to on premise consumption, was approved subject to the club submitting a fully updated application for each location which will be approved by the town attorney. Laura Vanderhart was also approved for a residential permit to keep and raise chickens.

 

Mayor Bennett said the 2020-2021 budget is now being drawn up and it will be a challenge with the decreased amount of income from sales taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said the budget will be as conservative as it can be and still provide services.

 

The announcement of any special called meetings held by the council will be via email to residents.

 

The town’s staff, public works employees and police and fire police department have all been working hard to continue providing services to residents of Lookout Mountain, Ga., said the mayor. Despite the pandemic, no service have been missing, he said, and he asked for citizens of the town to show gratitude for those employees.

 

Plans are to continue meeting through teleconference calls or by using the ZOOM platform, in the foreseeable future, said Mayor Bennett.

 

 

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