A developer has pulled the plug on a 190-acre mixed-use development in East Chattanooga that was to include $800 million in new housing.
Michael Kenner told the Planning Commission he was withdrawing his rezoning request. Asked by Planning Commission Chairman Ethan Collier the reason, he declined to comment.
The development of the "agrihood" mixed-use community has met some neighborhood opposition and been delayed several months.
Agrihood is described as "the concept of integrating farms and gardens into neighborhoods, allowing for the development of residential neighborhoods that have a rural feel. Integrating agriculture into neighborhoods also allows for communities to supply themselves with locally produced food."
Kyle Jacobson, landscape architect on the project, earlier said the tract has steep slopes and the project would be carried out in phases.
He said, "On behalf of our client, Miken Development, we would like to request to rezone the above listed parcels from R-1, R-2, C-2 existing zoning to a CMU-1 zoning. Miken Development and his team held three community meetings in order to understand the needs that could be met for the greater East Chattanooga community and from those meetings there was a desire and expressed need for more neighborhood scale commercial and a variety of housing types in the community.
"With the size of the proposed site, there are site grading challenges that will require nodes of residential and commercial density be spread throughout the site to be able to propose neighborhood scale commercial in each distinct node. These nodes will be built as a multi-phase development that will be build out as market conditions dictate."
The proposed "Doolittle Farms" was at Leeann Circle, Doolittle Street and Garner Road.
However, approval was given to expansion of a planned senior housing development by Tucker Baptist Church on North Moore Road.
Pastor Gary Hathaway said the church wanted to increase the units to 82. He said that would serve more clients in need of affordable housing and make the project more financially feasible.
He said there had never been any intention of seeking more than three stories in height. Bryan Schults of the RPA said that information had come from Mr. Kenner, the listed developer for the church. Mr. Kenner was not at the meeting when the Tucker Baptist case was called.
Tucker Baptist gained approval for the project over two years ago. Pastor Hathaway said the church had not been able to gain tax credits. He said it was working on alternative financing.
Chris Anderson of the mayor's office said Tucker Baptist was among the first to come forward with an affordable housing program. He said many churches have large unused fields and could do the same thing.