Parkridge Hospital East currently uses the 9000 block of Peck Drive in East Ridge for the ambulance drop off. The hospital requested that the city of East Ridge abandon that 50 feet by 362 feet length of the road to ensure access to the hospital in the future. The request was recommended by the city’s planning commission and a public hearing took place Oct. 13 at a city council meeting where it passed. The second and final reading of the ordinance to abandon the road was approved Thursday night.
A request to rezone property at 9 Franklin Place from R-1 Residential to R-2 Residential Duplex District was recommended for denial by the planning commission and the council followed by denying the rezoning. Chief Building Officer Michael Howell said there are seven houses on the road. One of them is a legal, non-conforming duplex, while the remaining buildings are single family. The owner of a vacant lot on the road requested to rezone the lot to R-2 so a duplex could be built. Mr. Howell said this would amount to spot zoning. The motion to deny the change was unanimous.
A variance to the city’s landscape ordinance was granted for property located at 495 Camp Jordan Parkway. The request came from Vision Hospitality Group on behalf of the developers Exit One. The city’s ordinances specify that a 20-foot buffer must be between commercial development and residential property. March Adams and Associates, consulting engineers for the project under development, has determined that because that property is in the flood plain that some of the buffer zone will need to be used. The council approved an amendment to the landscape ordinance that will allow the buffer to vary along the eastern edge of the property from 10-14 feet, which will average a width of 14-1/2 feet.
Another variance was approved for a sign at a multi-tenant building at 5611 Ringgold Road -Redwood Village. The ordinance specifies that monument signs are to be no taller than nine feet high. Because so many people occupy the building, the owner of the property needs a larger sign. The request that was approved will allow the sign to be 25 feet high, a variance of 16 feet and the size of the sign’s face will be 700 square feet, a variance of 650 square feet. The setback will also be reduced to 10 feet, from 15 feet which is a requirement in the ordinance.
Uniforms for inside soccer this year will come from Oak and Twine Screen Printing. Of the two bids received, their prices were the best and will range from $6.50-$6.70 each depending on the quantity ordered.
Upcoming events in East Ridge include The Fall Ball at the East Ridge Community Center for ages 55 and up and the boxing competition Guns & Hoses on Nov. 4, with one of the beneficiaries being the Forgotten Child Fund. The East Ridge Christmas Parade will be held on Nov. 19, with a deadline for registering to participate being Nov. 4.
This coming Saturday the police department will conduct a drug take-back event at the Walgreens on Ringgold Road at McBrien. The police will also be holding a food drive for the East Ridge Food Pantry on Nov. 11. The tentative location of the food drive is at the Raceway located at 422 Ringgold Road, but confirmation will be put on the city’s website. The city’s tent lottery will be Nov. 1 for candidates in the Nov. 8 election. City Manager Chris Dorsey said the new leaf vacuum truck is due to be delivered soon. The plan is to start vacuuming leaves on the west side of the city on Nov. 2.
He also announced that Chief Building Officer Howell is leaving for a new job in Whitfield County. Both the city manager and mayor wished him well and thanked him for his time in the city.