Knight's Inn in Lookout Valley
A local developer who earlier proposed changing three struggling Chattanooga motels into apartments has withdrawn a request to convert the Knights Inn in Lookout Valley.
Mike Price, speaking for Carey Thornhill of Thornhill Management Group, said the group still wants to change over the Motel 6 at 7707 Lee Highway near Bonny Oaks Drive and the America's Best Inn nearby at 7717 Lee Highway.
There had been strong opposition in Lookout Valley to the conversion of the Knights Inn at 3655 Cummings Highway.
The Lookout Valley Neighborhood Association issued a statement in opposition. County Commissioner Joe Graham went before the Planning Commission earlier to express his strong stance against it.
The City Council recently turned down a similar request for a Motel 6 on Brainerd Road after some neighborhood opposition.
The cases had been set to go before the Planning Commission on Monday, but Mr. Price announced the Knights Inn withdrawal.
There was a 30-day deferral on the other two because the City Council is set to vote on Tuesday night on a new process for handling such motel make-overs. Council members plan to set the conversions up as special exceptions.
Mr. Thornhill said earlier, "The current usage is a dying concept, particularly due to the transient nature of the model and moreover the amount of potential housing units that go unused on a monthly basis."
He said, "We feel confident UCG zoning would be the most appropriate zoning to utilize all current doors associated with the building."
Mr. Thornhill said his group "has worked in the affordable housing sector in the Chattanooga market for just over 15 years. We've seen the immense need for affordable housing and saw a great opportunity in transitioning this motel into an opportunity that provides suitable and cost effective housing for a community in need of affordable yet quality housing."
He said there would be no change to the building footprints.
The Motel 6 on Lee Highway has 94 rooms, the America's Best Inn has 64, and the Knights Inn has 60 rooms.
In the Brainerd case, community leaders said the owner there refused to knock down any walls for larger units and said it was "inhumane" to have apartments of some 550 square feet.
The Brainerd owner argued that with the apartment model that residents could be screened much better. He said it should cut down sharply on the number of police and medical calls to the site.
The Lee Highway Motel 6 and America's Best Inn are in the same block where the city of Chattanooga sparked controversy by buying the Airport Inn with plans to fix it up for homeless individuals.