The City Council on Tuesday afternoon approved rezoning for a conversion of the Airport Inn to supportive housing for the homeless, while declining at this time to put any conditions on the controversial project.
The vote was 8-1 to rezone the property at 7725 Lee Highway from C-2 to UGC, with Chairman Darrin Ledford the only no vote.
There was another 8-1 vote on a motion by Councilman Chip Henderson to add 13 conditions to the project, which he said would help protect the surrounding community and had been pledged by Mayor Tim Kelly. Councilman Henderson had the only yes vote.
Councilman Ken Smith left open the possibility that the council might revisit the issue of the conditions after the city holds two more community meetings at the Shepherd Community Center on Nov. 30 from 2-3 p.m. and Dec. 14 from 6-7 p.m.
Councilman Henderson said he had received "lots of calls and requests" for conditions that would seek to insure the safety of school children and others.
Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said the conditions "make this more like a prison or a jail. I certainly would not want to live there."
On more law enforcement there, she said, "We are already stepping over bodies in my district. All we get are excuses." She said there were no such conditions when the Woodlawn apartments were converted to the Bayberry. She said it still has the same problems.
She said if there are serious problems at the facility, "The DA could shut it down."
Councilwoman Marvene Noel said, "It's way too much. The conditions are definitely a bit much - no guests. And a fence has never kept anybody out. There is no way all of this should be in there. It breaks my heart."
Vice Chairwoman Raquetta Dotson said Silverdale Baptist Academy and Silverdale Baptist Church "are telling us 'this is what we want you to do' - policing on a whole different level. This is wrong."
She said "Christian elitists" are "saying they are better than these people and they want to put a fence around them. It's shameful that a group could come in here banging on the table and come up with a list and say 'do it.' "
Councilwoman Jenny Hill, while saying the communication on the project "has been awful," said the council "should not placate a very loud and vocal group of people."
Councilman Isaiah Hester said, "My grammaw told me that the only time you look down on people is when you are reaching down to help them."
Attorney Tim Ballard said there were a number of issues with the project, including a lack of transportation and nearby shopping or groceries. He said the neighbors had genuine safety concerns. City officials said the site would be served by CARTA's dial a ride program and would stop at the front door.
Conditions in the Henderson resolution included:
Increased Enforcement —Chattanooga Police Department will increase enforcement
efforts and resources around the area to further reduce incidents of violence or criminal
violations, including allocating additional patrol officers to Charlie Sector.
? No Sex Offenders — No one on the sexual offender registry will be eligible to be a
resident of the supportive housing units at 7725 Lee Highway.
? No Serious Violent Felonies — No one with a serious violent felony conviction will be
eligible to be a resident at 7725 Lee Highway.
? No Drug Manufacturing Convictions — No one with a drug manufacturing charge
will be eligible to be a resident at 7725 Lee Highway.
? Improved Facades — These supportive housing residences will undergo renovations
and improvements to ensure the facility is indistinguishable from a typical multi-family
development from the exterior.
? Accountability — The City of Chattanooga will retain the ability to shut down any
dysfunctional permanent supportive housing facility, including this one based on proof
of violations that continue to occur after notice under the contract or agreement for the
operation of this facility. The City will retain this ability through funding mechanisms,
code enforcement authority, and deed covenants and usage agreements with any future
developers.
? No-Camping Buffer Ordinance — There will be a permanent no-camping buffer on
any government-owned property as authorized by Tenn. Code Ann. Section 39-14-414
surrounding the supportive housing property owned by the City.
? On-site Security — There will be a requirement for the operator of this facility to
provide 24/7 professional security services while there are any permanent supportive
housing services on-site, as well as cameras that are linked to the City of Chattanooga's
Real Time Intelligence Center.
? Fencing around the perimeter —There will be a fence around the entire perimeter of
the supportive housing facility property with a single point of entry, for the safety of the
community and all of the residents.
? Transportation Services — CARTA will provide dial-a-ride services that will pick up
at the front door of the facility.
? No On-Site Registration — There will be no on-site registration for these residences.
? Community Input — The City of Chattanooga will form a Community Advisory
Committee, to include leadership from local churches, including Silverdale Baptist
Church, neighborhood residents, and representatives from Silverdale Baptist Academy
and other local schools.
? Overnight Guests – The property manager must have a documented and enforced
process to monitor guest visits and overnight guest stays.