City Council - Regular Meeting

I'll call to order uh this May 5th meeting of Chattanooga City Council and recognize Councilman Henderson to lead us in our pledge and invocation. Please stand al to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Reading from Numbers 6 24. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. Would you bow with me in prayer for just a moment? God, in times of turmoil, I pray that your face would shine upon us and give us peace. Amen. Amen. [clears throat]

All right. Thank you, Councilman. Um, as we get started, I just want to welcome everyone who's in the audience tonight. Um, just a reminder if you would make sure your cell phones are silent so we don't have any interruptions as we go along. Um, and also want to give just kind of an overview of how our meeting um, will operate so you'll know what to expect. Uh, we do have a couple of short special presentations here um, at the outset. After that we will um approve our minutes from our last meeting, last week's meeting. Then we will look at our agenda for tonight's meeting. And following that, we will look at the agenda for next week and then three weeks out. And as we go through all of those agendas, we'll take any questions or comments that uh council members may have about those items so that we make sure that we're well prepared for those things that are coming before us over the coming weeks. Uh next, we will have a planning and zoning committee meeting. Um, and we'll take a brief recess after that. Um, and we will come back after our recess and we will vote on all of the items that we've discussed in that first portion uh that are on our agenda for tonight's meeting. And then finally, at the end of our meeting, uh once we're done voting, there will be a time for public comment. So, anyone who's here and would like to address the council is welcome to do so at that time. Um when we get to that point, you'll just line up at the podium up front here um and our city attorney will read some rules and we'll be happy to hear from members of the public at that time. So with that, I would like to call up the administration to the podium to give a a brief overview of our coming fiscal year budget.

Good afternoon, council. Good afternoon.

I am excited to present the city of Chattanooga's FY27 budget proposal to you today. Um, this is intended, as as the chair said, a high level overview. In the [snorts] coming days and weeks, we'll kind of get into the the nuts and bolts of everything and really dig in. Um, and look forward to that discussion as as we move forward. I'd also like to take a second uh at the top to thank the departments and kind of recognize the department or the the work they've put in. Again, we're going to spend a couple weeks doing this. They've been working on this for the last four months. putting this information together, coming up with the budget. U and so I appreciate all the departments putting in the work and then especially our budget and finance staff for the work that they've put in uh into this. So with that, we will get started. Uh this budget continues uh the work and the mission laid out in Mayor Kelly's one Chattanooga plan. Um a couple highlights just at the top. Um, this budget includes a 3% colo uh for sworn and civilian, so citywide for all of our employees uh to keep our pay competitive uh and help us to continue to retain uh the great employees that we have. This budget also uh includes no change to the property tax rate that we set last year. So that would remain at the 193. And perhaps most importantly, it is structurally balanced, which is in keeping with the policies that we just passed uh in the last couple months. Now the budget is based on kind of our revenue number. So you can see here the total revenue number is 393,980,000. So just a hair under 394 um broken out into the buckets you see there. Um with roughly 86% of it made up of property tax and sales tax. Uh that breakdown is similar to prior years. It's uh similar to how most all municipalities state of Tennessee are funded. So uh no no large changes there. This next chart is kind of a graphical representation of of the slide we just

saw. So you can see well over 75% of the pie is related to sales tax and property taxes. So balanced against the three roughly 394 million in revenues is 394 in expenditures and those are break broken down in the buckets uh you see here with kind of our core services of public safety and public works making up 59% of the budget. Again that is right in line with where we were last year with these these items as well. Um, couple things just to note. Agencies and quasi agencies you see there that uh just for your reference are things like Carta, library, RPA, kind of those quasi governmental uh groups. [snorts] Um, and then general government includes kind of the some of the the smaller departments such as the council uh judges, city attorney, internal audit, and some general essentials. This is another layout for the expenses just looking at it by type or functional area instead of by department. You can see that 62 almost 63% of the budget goes to salaries and benefits. That's our investment in the employees that do the day-to-day and and make the city great. Uh services is the next biggest chunk. That's things anywhere from repairs and maintenance to utilities, uh IT costs, things like that would fall into that bucket. uh vehicle operations, think fuel, maintenance for the city fleet, things of that nature. And then other iss kind of everything else that falls in would fall under that. So materials and supplies, u travel, things like that. So that was general operating budget. Moving into capital, uh this is this year's budget includes $33.4 million in general capital investments. Uh this list if you go through and do the math, it doesn't add up to 33.4. This is kind of a summary overview. The books you guys will get uh

should have back there whenever you guys leave today. They'll be in the back. Has all the details um that make up that number, but uh we try to hit some of the high points and they're broken down in a couple key categories such as transportation and infrastructure, public safety. There it goes. Parks and community spaces, affordable housing, and then just general good governance. Again, the capital budget, the general government is 33.4. And then there are a handful of other areas there like Mark spoke about this this afternoon, wastewater with their class A and some of the things that they're doing. It's a total capital budget 167 uh million dollars this year. And again, when you guys get the budget books today, there's a full breakdown of kind of all the projects, the funding sources that go along with each of the projects. So all that detail is is in the back of that book. And so in closing, this budget is structurally balanced and fiscally sound and it continues our work towards the one shot new commission. the timeline again we discussed at at 2:00 uh today but um this is the general timeline as laid out. So the next two weeks with potential for that that 26th if we need it. Um June 2nd would be the public hearing with first read on the 16th and second read on the 23rd. And then again you guys will have printed books. It's 6 700 pages of good reading. So feel free to dive in. Those will be back there waiting for you when you leave today. Um there will also be by the time we leave today uh at that link um the printed the online version the digital copy so you can download that if you'd prefer to u kind of make notes and and and do that do it that way you'll have an option for either one but it has much more information. It's got really in-depth yeartoear over the last two three years uh of each area. It's

got the capital. It's got everything in it. Um, and so you can use this as you go through it. If you have questions even between now and next week when we get started, feel free to shoot them to me or or the committee chairs. I think as we discussed, um, we're willing to answer questions even, you know, as early as tomorrow if you guys get through the reading uh, tonight. But, um, other than that, um, I think that's it and I look forward to working with you guys in the next days, weeks to come and and really digging in on this. All right. Thank you, Weston. Oh, we have a question maybe before you go from Councilwoman Hill.

Weston, could you get us a copy of this presentation, please? Hand it on over to our clerk so we can have the digital. Thank you. Definitely. That's all, Mr. Chair. Okay, I think we have Jay coming up now from our public works department for a proclamation. [snorts] put on [clears throat] a tie. Yeah, look at that. Good afternoon, members of council. How's everybody doing?

All right. So, today I have a proclamation that I'm going to be reading. It's uh for public works weeks, public's work weeks. That's going to be May 17th through the 23rd. All of you will be getting invites so that you can come out, see what we're doing, participate in rodeo, drive some equipment, break some stuff, you know, all the things that we do every day. City of Chattanooga, Office of the Mayor Proclamation. Whereas public works services provided in our community are an integral part of our citizens everyday lives. And whereas the supportive and understanding and informed citizenry is vital to the efficient operations of public works systems and programs such as water quality, streets and highways, public buildings, and solid waste collection. And whereas the [snorts] health, safety, and comfort of this community greatly depends on these facilities and services. And whereas the quality and effectiveness of the facilities as well as their planning, design, and construction is vitally dependent upon the efforts and skill of public works officials. And whereas the efficiency of the qualified and dedicated personnel who staff public works departments is materially influenced by the people's attitude and understanding of the importance of the work they perform. and final whereas I call upon all citizens and civic organizations to acquaint themselves with the issues involved in providing our public works and to recognize the contributions which public works officials make every day to our health, safety, comfort, and quality of life. Now therefore, I, Tim Kelly, mayor of the city of Chattanooga, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as public works week. In witness whereof, I have here on I have here onto set my hand and caused

the seal of the city of Chattanooga to be affixed this fifth day of May, 2026. Signed, Tim Kelly, mayor of the city of Chattanooga. [applause] Thank you. Any questions? [applause] No lights on the board? No, just uh just just to thank you for all that you and your teams do every day for us. Absolutely, sir. It's our pleasure. Thank you. Okay. Well, council, can I get a motion on our minutes? Move to approve. Second.

Okay. Minutes will stand as published. If we would council look at our agenda for this week. We do have um one, two, looks like four items on final reading for ordinances on final reading. Any questions about those? [snorts] We also have a few ordinances on first reading. I do have a few questions about those. We have Councilwoman Hill.

Thank you. Um public works item 8A. Um I had emailed our legal team about this item. Um just as a reminder, this is an abandonment request. Um that is a little bit tricky because the lots were platted um in the I think year 1887. Um, and for 95 years, the owners of 1109 Spears have openly and continuously utilized the first 100 ft of this ride ofway as their driveway. And right

um if we have four lots that have been landlocked with the exception of this ride ofway, but it's a ride ofway in theory in that it's at a 34 35% grade which the city would deem unbuildable for a city approved road. So you couldn't get emergency personnel there. So help me understand. I mean, we don't we don't landlock lots, but these are already landlocked.

Well, there there's a concern to me, at least in so far as uh this particular uh area here um would be um involving something that has been on the plat uh for a Hill City subdivision since 1887. uh because of that um I'm concerned that it never got built out because of either the steepness or the issues that were going on in that area over that period of time. I I actually looked at back in the um nuh 1889 uh Spear subdivision plat that's in our uh plat book. I think it's number one page 27 here in Hamilton County. And uh this property at least was showing everything being perfectly aligned and streets when it's going up a large grade up into the hill. Um, I I once upon a time had an issue of a Timesville subdivision up in the town of Signal Mountain which was running through one of my clients properties at that point in time and the property lines were actually abandoned and the subdivision was uh, I guess changed in that area after a period of time because it was never developed. The town of Signal Mountain now has the Signal Mountain High School in the middle of what once upon a time was a Timesville subdivision. It was designed for the Chedna Times free press to be able to have a an addition an annual subscription. You got a lot if you purchased an annual subscription in the Times Free Press.

Wow.

So over the years that process changed uh over whether there was a need to keep those subdivisions the way they are. And that that's one of the things I think needs to be looked at on whether the the subdivisions that are still there from the 1880s should be in this area. Normally that's brought up as a request for a reubdition to the planning commission and that could be at least accomplished if there's some uh property owners that want to do that. The problem here is that you have looks like there's about four lots that would be not able to be accessed from Spears Avenue and [clears throat] even though there is no extension of that roadway right now, there's a concern that it could be extended in the future and I think that's the reason for the denial by the public works department and the planning uh commission in connection with this matter. So that that's up to for y'all to to discuss, but I I I know Karen was trying to set up an additional meeting for us to talk with Mr. Payne this week here regarding um these these areas as well. So uh that that's my information from today having looked at it and uh talked with the people in both the public works department and the planning division and I I can see that in this case Mr. Caldwell apparently because of the steepness of this area has a I guess access to his property that goes across basically three lots in order to be able to get into his driveway which is another reason for consideration here. What are you going to do for the future?

So what I just heard you say was repeat back to me the problem I asked. [laughter] Yeah. Which was I've got these blocked lots. Mhm. We have an unbuildable road. Yes,

we have lots that are already using this, but it sounds to me like you're saying we just need to hold the course and and deny this and just let it continue to be um un uh I'm blanking on the word um out of out of character um non-conforming. My my concern is whether you uh have an abandonment of the rideway or whether you talk about something that reconsiders this subdivision in the area here at this point in time. And that may involve more than one property owner, right? Potentially would require Yeah. Lots of property owners who have owned property since 18 something and maybe don't even know they own it.

They have not done anything with it. That's the other aspect of it. Are those property owners still in existence at this time? So if um if we deny this, what is the waiting period to look at it again? Is it a 9month the way it is with zoning? I don't believe so. So I believe just an abandonment could be brought back at any time here in but if it were brought back would the applicant have to apply again or if I just table this then we could pick it back up if they were to decide to move forward with the other and not have to go through the abandonment process again. I think I'd recommend just tableabling it for a short period of time and then we we can go forward.

Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. Clear as mud. Steep slope. [laughter] Woohoo. Thank you, Phil. Lot of rock then, too. Lot of rock. Yeah. Councilman Harvey.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I have an item in my district on uh item B under public works. Uh, it's an ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopened rideway on the 8100 block of Graham Road. Um, I have a few comments on this and I do intend to make a motion to table this item until we can make further uh clarity on what's going to happen on Graham Road. Um, public works went out and did an evaluation of the road and it scored a 39.54 which is failing. Um, I've also received a petition that was started by the neighbors uh of Sterling Us, which is uh down Graham Road um on behalf of 200 plus families because of the deplorable conditions of Graham Road. It just cannot sustain anything until we've got a concrete, pun intended, uh plan when it comes to Graham Road. So, I want to table this uh in an effort to get with uh both public works and the de the developer uh of this site to uh to see what the developer can do to improve Graham Road and then what we can do as well. Uh and that's going to take some time. So, uh that is my intent on that matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman. Up next, we have Councilwoman Dotley. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. So, uh items I'm so sorry. Let me get over Okay. on the planning. Um, are you there? Are you on the first read for those? Um, yeah. Okay, you're good. Okay, so planning item C and D both are in district 7. So, item C. Um, I did get a note this morning from Karen Renick regarding the presubmitt. So, if she can come up and explain that a bit on the record for us cuz they the applicants here. Is that them over here? I don't know. But,

okay. But if she can just kind of explain that presubmitt uh prior to this I asked for a deferral uh so that the applicant can do a presubmitt uh meeting um and so that was complete and what could you just on the record say what those findings were.

Yes. So the um there had been a um deferral at planning commission just to back up one step for the applicant to do a presubmitt and that that had not happened by the time of the second reading. So it was deferred here for the applicant to do a presubmitt. And there were two items the applicant was specifically supposed to speak um about as part of the presubmitt. One of them was um the inability to park in the ride of way or um and the second was the required landscaping buffer. Um and so we did follow up with LDO to see if there were kind of any official notes on file. um there weren't any to pass along, so I would defer to the applicant, but we um confirmed the applicant did want to move forward and would be at this meeting.

Okay, that works. Thank you so much, Karen. So, I plan to move forward with that one. And for item D, I do plan to offer a conditional amendment that all parking will be in the rear of the buildings, met with the neighborhood yesterday as well as a developer, and we're all on the one accord with that. So, I'll be offering that amendment, that conditional amendment tonight. Okay. All right. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Karen. Thank you. All right, council. Moving on to resolutions on our agenda for tonight. Um, we do have a couple. Any questions about those? Let's see. Councilwoman Hill.

Thank you. Um, item A was interesting and timely. Um, it is the resolution authorizing administrative public works to uh do some on call blanket contracts for landscape architectural services. And as I've been doing some research on this, something that's really interesting to me is that of the 12 that are listed here, there are only a few that are specifically landscape architecture firms. Um, which speaks to the conversation we had about about the perception of ease and perception of less cost um in not having a requirement for a landscape architect when in fact these are landscape architects and some of the exact same engineering firms that we hear about all the time. Um, so Kimley Horn, if you're going to do a a project, you're going to have an engineering hourly billable or a contract billable. You're going to have a landscape architect contract billable. So just speaks to me to say I don't know that the um heavy lift that perhaps some engineers um perceive that there is um actually exists. Um and the same thing with the cost when I see that the vast majority of folks who um are engineering firms that are used by the city also have landscape architects on staff. That's all. Thank you.

Okay. All right. council. Um, moving ahead to next week's agenda, we will have, as we heard about at our 2:00 strategic planning meeting, we'll have a a budget committee meeting next week during our agenda session. And there are some ordinances on final reading [snorts] from this week and then ordinances on first reading. Any questions as we look through those? Please hit your lights. And we have Councilwoman Null.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes. Uh ordinance under first read under planning. Um that would be G for me. Um I have not spoke with the individual. So I did [snorts] uh send a text to Mrs. Renick and ask her to ask them to contact me. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions or comments on ordinances on first read next week council? Moving along to resolutions on next week's agenda. [clears throat] Just one for information technology. Okay. Seeing no lights lit up here. Let's look at um purchases for this evening. Any questions about our three purchases? I would like at this time if I could to call on Weston to come down um and speak about the the purchase that we had approved a couple weeks back regarding some chairs and the administration's intention regarding that particular item.

Sure. A couple weeks ago, we brought forward a purchase for some chairs for the DRC building across the street over here. And uh after speaking with uh the department and going through it, we've decided to not go forward with that purchase. And so we just want to let you guys know that we're [clears throat] not going to move forward u with purchasing those shares right now. So Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Weston. Okay. [gasps] Moving along then, council. We'll take a look at items on future consideration. Any questions about any of those items?

I will note that there have been some details added with regard to the couple of items there on the change orders for the Walnut Street walking bridge. And hopefully those details will be helpful um to [clears throat] you all as they were to me when I was looking through and trying to understand the history of where the project started and and where it's come and the different change orders that we've had over time and the funding for those. All right, we do have a couple lights here. We'll start with Chairwoman Hill, Councilwoman Hill. Um first um first question I have both of these relate to uh public works items uh and I know and I want to talk about the moving of the dirt and then I want to talk about the bridge. So um I see that we're we're going to be asked to make a change about to resend a resolution for disposal fees. [clears throat] This is item four. Um, but then we're also being asked to approve disposal fees um for Alton Park. Um, and so I want to make sure that the $650,000 that we're being asked is the same amount that we're rescending in this other resolution. Jeremy,

no, ma'am, it's not. Do we have even more dirt that we're paying to move? Yes, ma'am. There was there was additional dirt and we're still moving some of it. So, we're about 98% complete right now. So, what's our total? How much money are we paying to [clears throat] dispose of dirt for this project? I don't have that number right now. I know the addition would be the addition to the dirt or or the addition to the brownfield clearing is because in the first agreement there was nothing for us to pay that bill. So, the contractor was trying to pay it by credit card.

Mhm. The landfield didn't want to accept the credit card. So then we asked for the money so that we could pay the 250 limit. Well, then they figured out that it was easier just to take the credit card. So then they started taking the credit card. So now we have to pay those charges. So we're rescending the 250 and adding that in. The 650 includes equipment usage, uh, fuel, labor, and all of the processes with the dirt. [clears throat] Okay. So, what we were paying with the 250 was just the delivery of the dirt.

Um, I' I'd really like in the future any of our projects to consider how might we do brownfield remediation in such a way that we're not landfilling it somewhere. There's such a cost to pick it up and move it and pay to landfill it. Yes, ma'am. when do we have the opportunity to create earthworks that are interesting that add [snorts] community benefit as opposed to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting dirty dirt [snorts] in a dirty pile. Just something please to consider. Yes, ma'am.

Um, okay. The other questions are about what's going on with the Walnut Street Bridge and um if if this uh was something we should have expected and didn't. Um so between these two change orders um looks to me like we've got a 30% really 34% increase overall in the total cost of the project.

Yes ma'am. Um and that the engineering design portion, [snorts] this was wild to me. Um that in that number we have uh they originally bid $48,000 on the job and are now expected to be able to bill $2.8 million on the job. That's more than six times what their original bid was. Um and I understand it's an old bridge.

Mhm. Um, and I I get that we need it to be right and it's a part of our civic infrastructure, but 33% over budget is substantial. Where is the money coming from? Is that I guess this is going to show up in this budget book I'm about to get where we're taking this out of capital funds to add additional money to this project. No, ma'am. This is coming out of grant funds. What grant funds? Uh let me open this other documents because we had 36.3 million in federal 12.9 in city

specifically for the construction of the bridge. Yes ma'am. [clears throat] 2.8 additional from city. So 15 million from the city at this point, which I will say $15 million for a $52 million project is still a win for the city of Chattanooga. But yes, ma'am. So, the two grant funds are from the Transportation Alternatives Program and the Surface Transportation Block Grant. Surface Transportation. Say that again, please. Uh, transportation alternatives program.

Uhhuh. And the surface transportation block grant. Okay. And [snorts] what do those total? Uh, I'm not sure, ma'am. Okay. Okay. I'd like to understand that funding stack. You saying grant reminds me. I feel like Bill told me you guys were applying for some things. Um, is it typical, Jay, to have a design construction administration line item go this high over the original budget? Or is there a way that we can plan our next project better? I think there's a way to plan it better next time. I think a lot of stuff with the Walnut Street Bridge was sight unseen. Okay.

So, whenever the contractors got into it, it was worse than what we anticipated. Uhuh. There was a lot of structural damage that was in there as far as the uh the fluctuation with the integrity of the steel beams, things of that sort. The timbers, almost every timber had to be replaced. And then some underwater structure as well. This was the first I had heard about the underwater. That was what needs to happen underwater. I I honestly don't know. I just know that talking with Bill, there was some underwater structural stuff. I'll get the answers for you. Okay. All right. Thank you. Yeah, that and then the breakdown of those grant funds, please. Thank you very much. That's all, Mr. Chair. Okay, Councilman Henderson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair Jay. And this may this is under public works. Um, I don't if I can get a more a little more information on uh 10B uh about the U sign I guess sign ordinance uh through our senior corridors. I got the specialist right here for you. You got a specialist? I got two magnificent specialists for you. I mean, you can just send me the information unless you've already got something laid out in anticipation of this question. Emily's got it. And I just want to point out she has the best last name in the world. [laughter] Good afternoon council. Good afternoon.

Uh so just as a reminder the um on premise or onsite sign code was amended last year and the off- premise or billboard section was not and we uh land development office working with RPA determined to do that second phase at a later date. And so this is just a very high level administrative start to that. So essentially uh the off-remise sign section identifies a scenic sign corridor where it prohibits billboard signs but that section has not been um revised since the 1980s. And some of the street names have changed. There's some punctuation changes that just it's basically a scrivener's error um opportunity to fix some of those. There's no change to the actual location of the roads or the locations of where the signs can be located or not. It's just fixing typos, grammar, and updating names of signs. And um I do have some information that will be included with the resolution that you'll get um the following week that will h it's highlighted all of the changes in red. So you can see they're very minimal. It may be just taking out one or two words or like I said changing the name of some of the road names that have since changed since the 80s.

Okay. Thank you, Emily. None of this will affect the ongoing litigation that we have. That is correct. Good. Yes, nothing has been omitted and nothing has been significantly changed. Right. Okay. Any other questions, council? I feel like I have to ask what your last name is since Jay Wood. Okay. [laughter]

There we go. Well, thank you very much. All right. Well, that takes us council to our planning and zoning committee. And so I will yield the chair here to Councilwoman Burrs. [snorts]

Good afternoon. Um I would like to call to order this month's planning and zoning committee meeting. And can I get a motion and a second to approve the minutes from last month? I'll move. Second.

All right. Did you catch all of that [laughter] in sync? All right. So, minutes will stand uh as published. I just want to a quick note um something that I experienced from last month which was unexpected and we don't have that much media here. So if media are going back and streaming this um for our media who report on our weekly meetings we occasionally play musical chairs and uh this time last month three of us moved twice and it ended up putting uh Councilwoman Hill I think in my seat and me and uh at that time Councilman Elliot and uh our name plates don't change when we move yet the media reported another council member as another council member on a story. And so for [laughter] for the media and for all of you watching, we recognize that sometimes we move around, but it's it's really important to know that I may I'm not Councilman Davis or Chairman Davis, obviously. Um but to our friends in the media, just please pay attention to who we are and make sure they match with the name plates in front of us or do a little more research [clears throat] to figure out who we are. So, thank you very much for that. Um, also for those who are attending the meeting today or streaming, just as a reminder, the purpose of this meeting is to review the upcoming zoning cases. Mostly the uh mostly the things that we're going to be talking about today will be on our agenda for next week under first reading. And this is designed as an education session for our council with RPA and anybody else that speaks um from the administrative side on these cases. So it it doesn't ignore the opportunity for people to be heard, but that will happen next week. So applicants will have the opportunity as well as supporters and opponents to make comments on the matters that we're going to be talking about today. Uh today we

um will be talking about the planning and zoning cases as I mentioned that will be on our agenda for next week and I believe Karen Renick will have one update as she normally will. shall have an update on uh an ordinance amendment and then if there's any other topics that any other council members have which we haven't talked about prior to this meeting that they wish to be addressed, please let me know. On the summary that you received from Karen Renick that was forwarded to you through the clerk. She has highlighted three cases items B, C, and H to be reviewed today. I also made a note for item G, Councilwoman Null, that you requested contact with the applicant. Do you want to hear about that item tonight?

Do you want a review of it? Just wait. Okay. All right. So, other than items B, C, and H, if you'll just look over the Oh, and J, excuse me. Four items. Is there anything else you would like to be addressed today? I Okay. So, I've added item I for re review today. Anything else? Uh, Councilman Henderson.

Oh, that was old. Okay. Okay. All right. I see no other lights. So, Karen, if you will please join us. So, we'll start with item B, item 2026-000034.

Okay. So, this is property in the 700 block of Shallow Road and the 2,000 block of Jenkins Road. Um, we had a question at planning commissioner, someone at planning commission. We did um we had incorrect addresses. We have fixed that since then. This is a request to reszone um from the RN2 to the CC commercial zone for convenience store and gas station and to help orient the property is at the southwest corner of Shallerford Road and Jenkins. Um it's primarily single unit residential to the west and south. The there's vacant property immediately at the corner and then Grace Baptist is across the chart, excuse me, across Shaifford Road. So the four corners of uh Shallford Road and Jenkins um show us having commercial zoning on historic zoning maps. So sometime maybe since the mid mid 1960s, those have been zoned commercial. Um and then a small portion of the southwest corner um was expanded westward in 1999 was reszoned to C2 with conditions. So, we did note in the staff recommendation and reminded the applicant that those conditions um placed on the zoning in 1999 um were still active. So, there's been a series of zoning cases um in or near this site. There's a 2007 request for commercial development that was denied by city council in 2015 um request to reszone for apartments that was denied by city council. And then most recently in 2025 there was a request to reszone for hotel and restaurant and staff and planning commission recommended denial and that case [snorts] was with withdrawn. So um this um there was a staff report on a zoning case this original um site plan and then it was um changed during the process. So I just wanted to highlight the original site plan the area shown in orange and so this is um

kind of the reverse side. So, this is still the southwest um side of the intersection. The area shown in orange is that area that was zoned um that's been zoned historically zoned commercial. Um so, the area in gray was the area proposed for reszoning. Um that area shrunk during the zoning process. So, the site plan and the legal description um for council action is the area now shown in gray. So, just as a this is what the original request was and then the revision as it went through the process. So, um staff had noted that the proposed original proposed CC zoning doesn't align with the um adopted plan or expansion of a neighborhood node, but um the neighborhood do node does note this kind of a small collection of businesses providing services and goods. Um the staff noted that the site plan submitted with the application shows area outside um the gas station pump area and um that because there is no there no proposed use and nec might not necessarily support the neighborhood service use um staff recommended denying the applicant's request and approving the CC for a portion of the site. So basically the plan supports kind of a convenience serving neighborhood type node because a larger portion of that site did not have a proposed use on it. Staff recommended just reszoning the portion of the site that has that convenience store use along with a condition of animal care facilities with outdoor areas, hotels, live entertainment, secondary uses, nightclubs and car washes are are um prohibited uses. And that was just to reinforce the plan recommendation of neighborhood services and is because there is adjacent residential. The um there was a um hearing at planning commission um at that time. The planning commission deferred the application for 30 days to allow the applicant time to conduct a community

meeting. The applicant came back with that revised site plan. In response to feedback, the applicant revised the site plan to reclocate the proposed car wash to more interior portion of the si site and staff continued with a recommendation of that revised area with the condition. There was opposition present, concern about noise and lighting, some of that in relationship to the noise um that can come with a car wash. Concern about commercial expansion westward down Shallford Road and then safety of kids um with turning movements. And there was some discussion about provision of sidewalks of planning commission. So planning commission um had a similar recommendation to staff which is to um deny the applicant's request and shrink that area of that commercial area being reszoned with the condition shown. Since then, we've had some discussion with the applicant and LDO has been helpful making sure understanding that car washes are prohibited uses, what the impact that condition would mean. Um, and um have some followup [snorts] with the applicant. I followed up again today just to make sure um that if they had any concerns that I hadn't heard back at the time of this meeting. So this comes with that uh recommendation to prove that um that more limited area with the condition as shown.

Thank you Councilman Harvey. Thank you uh Chairwoman. Thank you Karen. Um spent a lot of time on this this zoning case. I was met with the uh the the developer and was present for the community meeting. Um so I have heard both sides of this at length. Um so so just to confirm the recommendation of of both staff and planning commission is to prohibit the car wash.

It's to pro um so the applicant and then this is the um revised site plan. The applicant removed the proposed car wash to the interior of the site for the area already zone commercial. The area already zone commercial has conditions but does not prohibit the car wash. So in order to reinforce the fact that had been moved to the interior away from the neighborhood, we're continuing that condition. As you can tell, there were drives and maybe signage and so um the proposed applicant is Wigles. There had been some back and forth with some um guidance from LDO about how that would be enforced and LDO gave some helpful guidance on that which was passed along to the applicant. So, we're just um communicating with them to make sure prior to next week's meeting that there are no additional concerns with that. Um and so, I think the drives are okay, but maybe pumps are not. There's just kind of a back and forth or there's just been some additional information. We had not heard from the applicant, just confirming the information they received from LEO.

Okay. All right. That makes sense. I'll follow up and and I will pass that information along to you. Okay. All right. Thank you. Uh, like I said, I I've I've gone back and forth on this uh to consider both sides. There are some neighbors on down Shaifford Road u who are concerned about traffic and um you know, road conditions and and things of that nature. Um however, when I when I start to think about this, you know, my understanding is someone can go in tomorrow and begin developing that that uh commercial site already. Is that that's correct?

That's correct. the area shown in orange and that's of course my kind of handdrawn commercial area. Yes, that is um and I back in the day they um the zoning pattern would follow. [snorts] They would reszone intersections and sometimes this is example like 300 ft from the ride of way. So there was an old zoning pattern set here. We didn't go back further than the kind of the historic paper maps. Um but yes, that has been there for a while and of course that was before conditional zoning was allowed. Sure. In addition to, it's my understanding that the uh the applicant has also um put some self-imposed conditions on there to both ride widen Jenkins Road and the roundabout. Is that still existing?

Um I'll let the applicant speak to that. There was some discussion about planning commission about um providing some um um some area for expansion and then sidewalks, but I'll let the applicant um handle that. Okay. That that was my understanding at our community meeting was they had um offered to widen both Jenkins and and help with the roundabout which I think in turn would address some of the issues that the neighbors had about traffic flow, uh road improvements, that kind of thing. Um so I was I was thankful to hear that from the applicant. Um, so, okay, I'll I'll wait to hear back from that because I I do uh hope that's part of their self-imposed uh conditions

and and it's not a condition um placed on that that is included in the um council ordinance, but I can ask um them to put that in writing just to have that um on the record and to share that for next week.

Please do that. Yes. uh to I I guess going back to you know anybody could develop this tomorrow uh by right and it may not be something that um we have much input on actually much at all. Um but this we do u and so I I feel like this um with those conditions would be something beneficial u to this area um just again because they're willing to uh make these improvements. um it's a cleaner, tighter u operation than maybe some others that could go on that site. And so um you know it's kind of you know kind of meeting in the middle here um with what what do we want at this site and I think this this is something that again if uh the applicant is willing to improve uh the infrastructure would be a nice addition uh a good a good fit for the for the area. So um I'll wait to hear back from you on that. Thank you. All right. I see no other lights on this matter. So, we'll move on to 2026-0040, also in district 4.

Also in district 4. [laughter]

This is in the 1,800 block of Ferris Road and the 7,300 block of Crane. And so, the um properties um that are subject to reszoning are shown in yellow. They're a half block off Gun Barrel. And this is for parking for Erlanger East, which is shown in that blue circle. and to help you or as you know Hampton Place Mall is shown there in orange just to um kind of help you locate. So the request is a resoning from RN16 residential neighborhood zone to the INST institutional zone. The applicant has um recommended um some conditions as part of their resoning which is no vehicular access to Ferris and a 20oot type-C landscape buffer along Ferris. Again, it's to expand the parking area for Erlanger East. And so, Erlinger East looks like uh started reszoning in um 1988. Um there are several zoning cases associated with that. The commercial zoning along Gun Barrel Road, I counted something like 12 or 15 reszonings for that section of Gun Barrel activity over time. Um the RN16 property was equivalency zoned to that from R1 in 2025. The site's surrounded by a mix of uses. Um the residential sing uh single family residential detached is to the west and north. You have the line of medical offices with some commercials. You got a little bit farther north on Gun Barrel and then the hospitals to the south. So the applicant's proposals, the site plan is only for a parking lot. Um and you'll see that um reinforced in the condition. So the request to reszone from RN16 to institutional is intended to expand the parking lot. The 2022 area 11 East Brainard plan designates the property as a mixed residential place type. Um, but staff noted that it's directly adjacent to the hospital and medical uses and it that kind of the area kind of functions as a institutional area. So given this context, the request represents a

logical expansion of the existing medical campus rather than the introduction of a new institutional use into an otherwise stable residential area. Surrounding area reflects a transitional pattern of development. Um residential uses remain to the north and west while medical and institutional uses are located to the south and east. Um so um the staff recognized the INST zone. That's the news a newer zone because before you kind of went to R4 which allowed bank branches and hospitals and everything. We broke it up. The INST zone allows that wide range of institutional uses including um pretty tall buildings and so staff recommended some conditions. So we recommend limiting the permitted use to parking lot as a principal use only to ensure the resoning functions solely as expansion of that use because that institutional zone so allows so many uses with really kind of a high level intensity of development. It's recommended that be handled through a lifting of condition should that be needed for something else in the future. We also recommended supporting the condition to restrict access to Ferris Road. That again is to um really trying to hold a a hard line on Ferris. So no access to Ferris that would come off Crane. And then the applicant had recommended a buffer along Ferris. We spent some time talking about this as staff and in order to really enforce that hard line on Ferris, we're recommending staff recommended a two- foot high burm um in addition to the parking perimeter planning or wall. And so that is really to again try to orient those institutional office uses a little bit more to the southeast and have that hard line on Ferris, meaning parking lot buffering and no access to Ferris. There was um some discussion at um there was some opposition at planning commission concerns about traffic and parking and also just I guess general activity

walking um from the hospital to the uses along gun barrel. Uh so planning commission has similar findings as staff that this is a a reasonable expansion of an existing medical campus and planning commission added on a fourth condition or a 6- foot tall privacy fence to be installed along a shared property line. And this is a response to the um feedback at planning commission. And so that shared property line is between the medical office along gun barrel and then the proposed parking lot. um and that was at the request and just to um prevent some of the I guess that the activity on the site and so this does come with a recommendation to approve the four conditions and the applicant acknowledged at planning commission that they were okay with those four conditions.

Councilman Harvey,

uh thank you again u for another um development u in my district. Um I too have met with uh this applicant. We walked around the property um and looked at it. He explained what they want to do there and it's exactly, you know, what what he said was parking, much needed parking for Erlinger East. Um I can personally attest to needing uh parking in a hurry at the emergency department and not being able to find it. And when you're hurting, you want the front door. Um so th this is this is definitely needed um because we're continuing. Fun fact, um, Erlinger East Emergency Department sees more patients a day than any of the other Erling Linger hospitals around this area, including downtown, which is is pretty amazing. So, um, this is a site that's just growing. This hospital's growing and growing and and we need we need a place to park. So, um, I think this is a good a good use of this this area.

Good. All right, Councilwoman Hill. Thank you, Karen. I had a question about condition number [snorts] four, the privacy fence. Yes. Um when when I read that and you said it, I thought, okay, that makes sense because we've got residential at the back of this. And in fact, [clears throat] the drawing actually is behind another medical office leaving this other house up here looking at a parking lot. How can you give us a little bit more of the why of this one section

that they want that they would put that there? I think that um so at planning commission um there was I get my understanding was that people are um kind of cutting from Erlanger east kind of cutting across a gun barrel and kind of those commercial uses and so there's a lot of activity in that parking lot um while there's also all the turning movements along Crane Road and so that was planning commission response to say okay um someone could park um in in the parking lot but then would need to come out and like come to the crosswalk or something is shown on the crane road there instead of cutting through. [cough]

I also Yeah, just to tag on to that, Councilwoman Hill, the property owner, this that is in front that that's at the corner of Gun Barrel and Crane,

they were concerned about having traffic coming through their lot that wasn't going to their business. So, they wanted a way to direct traffic towards the hospital versus cutting through their property. So, what a weird conversation because number one, we're talking about five buildable lots that we're going to put a flat parking lot on. Arguably, not the highest and best use of this. However, I also understand that parking garages are expensive to build, right? Um, but then to also say we want to make it harder for pedestrians to move about this area [snorts] is mind-boggling to me when we have we have Gun Barrel Road, which does have sidewalks, but are they so [snorts] [laughter] I'm just thinking So, so these people at 1815, 1809, 1801 don't want people using their property to get to them cuz there's not a drive entrance here.

I think it's just 1801. That's correct. property owner at 1801 wanted which is a medical office which is a medical office but does not so it's not Erlinger saying no it's a we don't want somebody that would park here walking over to this office it's this medical office saying okay that's for you to deal with Councilman Harvey but that's all very strange to me when especially when at this backside we don't have a fence we have a a 20 foot BM which I you know, buffer, which you might think would be appropriate here as well. Weird.

And Councilman Harvey, I can um share with you the planning commission recording and kind of the start date of that that start time of that discussion. So, if you'd like to listen to that, I can share that with you. All right. Everyone's questions been answered on this one or discussion.

Okay. Great. Next item I noted is item H. 20260039 in district 9. Sir. So, this is a resoning at 1508 East 13th Street and the request is to reszone from RN15 residential neighborhood zone, which is that um primarily single unit zone to the TRN3 traditional residential neighborhood zone. It's for a um the proposal is for two twounit structures and so there's um been quite a bit of zoning um activity. I will kind of orient to the um TRN3 zone at the corner of Highland Park Avenue and East 13th Street. That's the um one um TRN3 zone to the west of the site that was reszoned um to urban general commercial at the time which was um then equivalency zone to TRN3 and it had a similar use to what the applicant is requesting. The site is immediately surrounded by single unit detach residential you um uses and then that multi-unit residential use um just to the west. The historic riverto- ridge plan promotes a multi-unit housing such as duplexes, three and four-unit multif family housing, cottage courts, and ADUs in order to provide more housing options in proximity to transmit transit and for sites at the edge of residential neighborhoods that are most um suitable for increased density and varying development types. And so the applicant is proposing um two duplexes. So, they're two two units and we'll see a picture of what the applicant's proposing might make it a little bit more clear. Um, and the

applicant is proposing something that's similar to down the street. So, I have some pictures to kind of get us there. This is the um the site north of the site, south of the site, east of the site, and then because ADUs have come up so much particularly last week, this is east of the site and this is an ADU to the rear just to show it as part of the um kind of the mix of housing in the area. And this is that TRN3 zone property to the west of the site. The one that I mentioned is just a um just two or three lots um to the west. And so the applicant wants to do a similar use as this, which is the two unit at the front and then a two unit at the back. Just another um view of that. So the TRN3 zone um does allow kind of that mix of uses uh excuse me that development form and staff noted that that zone without conditions probably is not compatible with the area 3 plan because it permits a higher density greater building mass and taller structures that exist in the area. Um but there is some zoning precedent for TRN3 with conditions. So staff recommended approval with conditions of no more than four residential units and then off- streetet parking and access from the rear alley only. Um there was opposition present. Um there was um someone there was concerned about storm water runoff. Um and planning commission spent a little time talking to them about the permitting process and how that could be handled in permitting. Um and planning commission found that the request is compatible with the plan and development form with conditions. And so this does come with a recommendation to approve with no more than four units off streetet parking and access from the rear alley only. Um and I don't I apologize I don't have a cop a picture of that rear alley but um that is one that is in use.

Vice Chair Elliott. Thank you Madam Chair. Um Karen, thank you so much for this. Um can you send me can you email me the planning commission recommendations? I will. Um and I'll take it from there. And I will note um the applicant u the conditions are intended to reinforce to what the applicant said that she would like to do and so just as a note to that. Perfect. Are you good? Yes, ma'am. Okay. I see no no other lights for this matter. I do want to backtrack to item F and I guess this is um Mr. attorney. I I know I want to defer that one. Uh how long?

Uh till May 26th. Okay. Because the applicant is meeting with the neighborhood or the community on May 21st. So you want to wait till after that meeting for it to be heard. Thank you.

Okay. Next item is item I 2026-000046. District 9 as well. Okay, this is a request um for to reszone on Dods Avenue 1601 DODS to reszone from RN2 to the TRN3 zone and the applicant to put to reszone for an 8-unit multi-unit residential development. And so development form was this is backing up to um the Miltown development. So there's a lot of reszoning activity in the area, but more specifically to this site. the property to the um adjacent property to the south was reszoned to UGC um in 2023 and equivalency map to TRN3 and I have a picture which might trigger um memory of that reszoning um and staff noted that this would be uh the proposed zoning is an extension of that zone and then south further along the block um the property was reszoned to C3 with conditions as part of the Miltown development and that was in 2022. The site is surrounded by a variety of uses including single unit residential, multi-unit residential, commercial, and future mixeduse development. Again, Miltown has developed since then, but the aerial photograph, you can see some of the activity associated with that. Just to help orient, this is a site from 16th Street and a picture of the site from Dodge Avenue. The um house to the left or the residential unit to the left was the one that um that was reszoned to TRN3 also. So staff found um the um the resoning is in accordance with the plan. The historic river to ridge area 3 plan recommends a mixeduse commercial place type. Um it defines as transitioning commercial corridors um to um more dense and pedestrian friendly pattern with multi-store buildings a mix of residential and office uses. Um Pedal Gorks transportation did flag to us that Jaws

Avenue is a state route which will prohibit curb cuts. Um, and the zoning ordinance prohibits multi-unit residential development backing out on Dod's Avenue. Applicants encouraged to use the rear alley for access. And so staff did add that as a condition. Um, so it comes with a recommending to prove with no curb cuts on Dods Avenue, no opposition at planning commission, and a similar recommendation from planning commission. Vice Chair Elliot. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, Karen, did you say they're looking to build eight units?

That was what the application said. um was the um cuz we had kind of a generic on our side we have I think a generic multi-unit residential but I believe the application narrative said an 8- unit um multi-unit residential development. Do you have any type of site plan? Are they looking to keep the keeping the existing structure in converting that structure? Oh, okay. I will confirm that though since all that's cool. I would hate to disappoint you all, but I will confirm that that's the case. Um, there it is. Yes. Okay, I see. Now, can you have a And they're not allowed to back out, correct?

That's right. That was the um so public works said um that the zoning ordinance will not allow backing out on Dod's Avenue. And so it looks like if you see I think it's this picture that kind of shows the parking a little bit of parking behind the structure. Can you go back to the other rendering you just showed that there is that not a parking um a driveway in the front? It looks like something like that, but just because you show it on the site plan you submit for resoning doesn't make it so. So, the condition if approved by council would trigger and they would not be able to do that. And they know that the state won't allow them to do a

It was in the zoning or it was in the staff report. We try to put helpful flags in the staff report as notes just to let folks know. Okay. I've not heard from this one yet. Can you ask them to reach out to me, please? I will. Thank you so much. That's all, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councilwoman Hill. Thank you. So, can you go to the picture where we see the house beside it? That it looks like they are set up backing out. So, is that a code violation? They're just driving over the curb. I don't know if it's a code violation. My memory is that was already there. It doesn't look like a curb cut though

prior to resoning, but I can confirm action on that one because that one's the one that got reszoned um not too long ago and I can see what they have. It looks like there's a cur in the Google Earth. Looks like there's a curb cut by a pole that goes down between the two buildings, but this developer has put four parking spots that all they could do is back out onto dods to be able to get out of those spots. Just so you know. Yes, I will follow up. So, I don't know if there's like a grandfathering provision or if you don't have any other access, but um Okay, we'll follow up with public works. I'll follow up with public works transportation and send out information. Okay. Thank you. You good?

Yep. And I see no other lights. All right. So, let's move on to item J, which is an ordinance amendment.

And this is um is um pretty concise, I guess. Um the we had um put through a ordinance amendment to clarify institutional zone standards inside and outside the urban overlay. The title was incorrect on the table and so um Brian caught that and we're just asking that to to be clear anyone looking at the standards um which one is outside the urban overlay. And then um we were um talking to LDO about um the ADU and um can talking about side setbacks and we had had a this um graphic in the original ADU ordinance. It had a table and then the graphic was just reinforcing what you saw in the table. And so the graphic did not make it in the new zoning ordinance. So this graphic is going back in just reinforcing the table language again. And so while we cleaned up a little bit visually, it should be sharing the same information, but that is to help LDO to be clear on um I think the the main issue was side setbacks on corners in the rear and this um they were just asking for that to be put back in to help.

Okay. Chairwoman Hill, your light is still on. Do you have a comment about this or Well, my light is still on. How [laughter] convenient. I appreciate this desri this description because it helps to understand these are two things. I was trying to figure out in my mind how about institutional ADUs and setbacks, but there are two different I apologize. There are two things going on in this one. I apologize. In this one ordinance, a table and a thing. Yes. And the first one is cleaning up a word on a separate table. I apologize. Thank you. Yes. Okay. Cool. Thank you. That's all.

Okay. I [clears throat] see no other lights. Any other questions for Karen about any cases? Anything? All right. Um, two announcements. Um, council members, you all received an email from Darren Leadford this morning with just an update on RPA and on the progress that they've made uh, as a result of the changes to the county's withdrawal of funding. And I want to thank Karen and Mandy and Felicia Blackman uh, for leading a successful process. several, as you'll see in Darren's email, several critical personnel transitions have been completed thanks to their hard work and commitment during this process. So, I think we're moving forward in a very positive manner. So, thank you all for all of your hard work. Um, I know there's a lot that went into it, a lot of hours. So, thank you. You also received an email from Brian Schultz yesterday with a rundown of the cases that'll be heard on Monday at the planning commission meeting. So, in your spare time, cuz I know we all have so much spare time. If you um if you have a moment to review those, let me know if there's anything that you need from me before the cases are heard on Monday. With that, that's all I have. I don't see any other lights. Mr. Chair, recess until

No, half an hour. Okay. Uh we will recess until 5:15.

We are back in session. Madame clerk, if you would please read items 7 A through C as a package. Item A, an ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopen rideway in the 3,800 block of Zelian Drive as detailed on the attached map subject to certain conditions. Item B, an ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopen rideway in the 300 block of Stringer Street as detailed on the [clears throat] attached maps. Item C, an ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopen ride away of Cedar Street as detailed on the attached maps sub certain conditions. Move to approve. Second. Council, we have a motion to approve and proper second. Are there any questions or comments about these items? All in favor?

I. Any opposed? The items pass. On final reading, [clears throat] um item 7D, please madam clerk. An ordinance to amend Chattanooga city code part two chapter 38 zoning ordinance so as to resone two unressed properties in the 1000 block of shallow road from RN16 residential neighborhood zone to TRN2 traditional residential neighborhood zone subject to certain conditions. Move to approve. Thank you. Council, we have a motion to approve. Properly seconded. Any questions or comments on this ordinance? Seeing none, all in favor?

Any opposed? And this ordinance passes. On final reading, if you would [clears throat] please read item 8A, Madame Clerk, an ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopen rideway in the 100 block of Turret Street as detailed on the attached maps. Councilwoman Hill. Thank you. I'd like to make a motion to table this item based on our conversation during the agenda session um that that we have some concerns about the potential of creating landlocked lots even though said lots would also not be buildable. So, we're going to take a look at if the whole area can be replatted potentially. Second.

All right, council. We have a motion and a second to table item [clears throat] 8A. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Any opposed? And the item is tabled. Item 8B, please. Would you like for me to read the alternate version? Yes. Yes. Thank you. and on his closing and abandoning a portion of the unopened rideway in the 8100 block of Graham Road as detailed on the attached map subject certain conditions. Councilman Harvey.

Mr. Chairman, I uh make a motion to table this item uh based off of the uh conditions of Graham Road um being at a 39.54 on the PCI scale and a petition that was started on the neighbors of Graham Road with more [snorts] than 200 plus families that it represents. U trying to come up with a better plan to get Graham Road taken care of where it can sustain more development. At this time it cannot. And so we need time to to plan that. And so I make a motion to table this item, please. Second. Council, we have a motion properly seconded to table item 8B, the alternate version. Any questions or comments? All in favor? I.

Any opposed? And this item also is tabled. [clears throat] Item 8 C, please. An ordinance to amend Chatting City code part two chapter 38 zoning ordinance so as to resone property located at 4300 Dodge Avenue from RN2 residential neighborhood zone to CR regional commercial zone. Okay. And this is planning item 2026-000018. Is the applicant present? [clears throat] Is there any opposition present? Seeing none, Councilwoman Dolly,

I'm so so sorry. Thank you, Mr. Chair. After uh well, during our recess, I was able to talk to the applicant as well as planning and our attorney. And so, we will defer this for one week until May 12th uh to solidify what they're actually building there. Okay. So, that's in a form of a motion and and the applicant was present here and we excused [snorts] him. Yes, that's right. Yes. Yes. Yes. Second. Okay. Okay, council. We have a motion properly seconded to defer this item until May 12th. Um, any questions or comments? All in favor?

Any opposed? And it will be deferred until May 12th. Um, item 8 D, please, Madam Clerk. An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code Part 2 Chapter 38 zoning ordinance so as to reszone properties located at 1341 138 and an unadressed property in the 100 block of Lynchberg Street from RN2 residential neighborhood zone to TRN1 traditional residential neighborhood zone and this is planning item 2026-000020. Is the applicant on this one present? There any opposition present? All right, Councilwoman [clears throat] Dotley, what's your pleasure on this one?

All right, so as mentioned earlier, I will be adding two conditions based on our neighborhood meeting yesterday. Um, so first I move to approve. Second. All right. Then u my amendment is that uh all parking be in the rear of of all of the all three of the developments and that's in the form of a motion. Second. All right, we have a motion properly seconded to amend with the condition that Councilwoman Dotley read into the record. Any questions or comments? Are there two conditions or is it just that one? It's just the one. It's three [clears throat] units and parking in the rear of all three of the units. In the rear of all three units. Okay.

All in favor of the amendment? I Any opposed? Okay. The amendment passes and we are back on the the main motion. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Oh, motion to approve. Oh, yeah. Motion to approve as amended. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah. And do I have a second? Okay. So, we have a motion properly seconded to approve as amended. Um, any questions or comments? All in favor? Any opposed? All right. And that passes as amended on first reading.

Thank you. And then um item 9 a the alternate version please madam clerk

a resolution authorizing the administrator for the department of public works to award contract number S25012101 for the professional services on call blanket contract for landscape architectural services for year one of four to the following 12 consultant firms. One, TSW Landscape Architects. Two, H Dawson, formerly Reagan Smith Associates, Inc., three, HGLA. Four, Barge Design Solutions. Five, Ross Valor PC. Six, Kimley Horn. Seven, CSDG. 8 Labella, nine, ASA Engineering Consulting Inc., 10 Core Engineering, 11 Collier, and 12 Stantech Consulting Services Inc. for an amount not to exceed $1.5 million. to approve.

Second. We do have a motion, a proper second. Council, any questions or comments? All in favor? Any oppose? This resolution passes. And finally, item B. Madam clerk,

a resolution authorizing the administrator for the department of public works to enter into a joint funding agreement with the US Geolog Geological Survey USGS to operate three continuous realtime precipitation gauges and seven continuous realtime stream gauges located on North Chikamaga Creek, South Chikamaga Creek, Chattanooga Creek, Mountain Creek, Wteever Creek, Lookout Creek, and Forest Branch for [clears throat] emergency preparedness and flood response activities for the period beginning April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 in the amount of 118,339 and authorizing the city share of $17,464.

Move to approve. Second. Do have a motion and proper second on this item. Any questions or comments, council? All in favor? Any opposed? And this item passes. All right, that takes us to purchases. Weston, good evening, council.

We have three purchases recommended for approval this evening. Uh the first is with technology services. They're requesting a 5% increase for years four and five of agreement PA1000699 with second nature software. This increase is necessary to accommodate additional users. The total requested increase is $20,838.25, bringing the annual spin limit to $50,1965. Item number two is with technology services. They are requesting an 11-month extension through March 31, 2027 to agreement PA1000652 for technology integration and security services with Convergent Technologies. There will be no increase to the annual spin limit. And item number three is a one-time purchase and installation of a modular office complex for the police firing range in the amount of $252,913. The award will go to box modular utilizing source well contract.

Approve. Second. Have a motion and proper second on these purchasing items. Any questions or comments? All in favor? I. Any opposed? Right. Thank you, Weston. All right, we'll go around the dis here for committee reports. We'll start with Councilman Henderson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, next week, May the 12th, we will have a budget and finance committee [clears throat] meeting. Uh, we'll be presenting an amendment to the FY26 budget. Uh and then we did also um have a special presentation this afternoon by uh Mr. Weston Porter. Uh he presented the FY27 budget and we have um our work sessions laid out for May the 12th and May the 19th. Okay. Thank you. Councilwoman Hill, no report. [snorts and clears throat] Councilman Harvey,

no report. Councilman Clark report. Councilwoman null. Councilwoman Dotley. Councilwoman Burr. We had a planning and zoning committee meeting today and the next planning commission meeting will be Monday, May 8th for cases that we will hear in [snorts] June. All right. Thank you. And Vice Chair Elliott? No report.

All right. We're now to that portion of our meeting where we're happy to hear from members of the public who might wish to address council. So, if you're here for that purpose, please line up at the podium down front here while our attorney reads the rules. And at the end of each council business meeting, the chair will recognize members of the public who wish to address the council. And here's your ruins. Each speaker wishing to address the council can only be recognized at the microphone provided up front for that purpose. can't have more than three minutes to speak and you can address the council only upon matters within their legislative and quai judicial authority and not upon matters which are on regulated by other governmental bodies or agencies. Do not engage in any vulgar or obscene language their use of to personally attack or personally denigrate others and address your comments to the council as a whole and not towards individual council members. And lastly, do not engage in any disorderly conduct or disrupting a public meeting which is prohibited by Tennessee law and someone commits that offense if a person substantially obstructs or interferes with the meeting by physical action or verbal utterance with the intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting or gathering. Having stated those rules, please state your name, ma'am, and what district you're within. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Cat Zwitter and I'm the executive director of Atypical Place for Transformations. I'm here tonight because what's happening in our city is not working. Over the past several months, I've been on the ground at encampments, including Hooker Road. I'm not speaking from theory. I'm speaking from what I've seen with my own eyes. I have repeatedly tried to reach communication with law enforcement around clear encampment clearings, not to interfere, not to obstruct, but to coordinate, to make sure people aren't displaced in chaos, without warning, without resources, without dignity. And yet, time and time again, there is little to no communication. That lack of coordination doesn't just create confusion, it creates harm and misinformation. When people are removed from private property or without a clear plan, without a timeline, without support present, they scatter. Medications are lost, IDs disappear, pets go missing, people who are barely holding on are pushed further into crisis. This is not a solution. It's a cycle. We are asking for something reasonable. We are asking for communication, a clear, consistent line of coordination between the city, law enforcement, and community organizations already doing the work. We are asking for a social worker unaffiliated with the enforcement to be present during these removals. Someone trained to deescalate, to connect people to resources, and to be a human bridge in the moment that is traumatic. We are asking for basic respect because regardless of housing status, every person deserves to be treated with dignity. Right now, the city is operating without a critical piece of infrastructure, a low barrier shelter. We cannot continue clearing encampments without providing people a place to go. It doesn't work. It never has. A low barrier shelter is not just a service. It is a necessity. It is the difference between stabilization and continued

displacements. We have people in the city who want help, who would accept help, but cannot meet the rigid requirements of an existing system. So, they remain outside, not because they want to, but because there is nowhere else for them. If we continue on this path, we will continue to see the same outcomes. Displacement without direction, enforcement without coordination or respect, and people, our Chattanooga residents, our homeless neighbors continue to fall through the cracks. We can do better. We have organizations ready to collaborate. We have people willing to step in. We have solutions that are practical, realistic, and humane. What we need now is partnership. What I'm asking for is the city to prioritize communication to implement the presence of a social worker during encampment removals and to take real steps in establishing a low barrier shelter. Baron King with the Chat Foundation is willing, ready, and has the plans for the low barrier shelter because the measure of a city is not how it treats its most comfortable, but how it treats its most vulnerable. Thank you.

Thank you. [applause] Missy Crutchfield, Highland Park. Just want to thank you all again for your support and moving toward a low barrier shelter. As you can see, you're here, the media, the beautiful story uh that Sienna Duncan did in the Times Free Press on Sunday on the cover. This is important. People are paying attention. Voters are paying attention. The affluent are paying attention. This is an an issue that is very easy for people to forget about because just by the nature of being homeless and particularly unsheltered, you want to be invisible. You you want to protect yourself from being arrested. You want to just survive. You want to live as best you can, but with the laws that are coming down where you can't even even sleep in your car or on the street, the encampments are being dispersed in such an inhumane way with no notice to the nonprofits. Even some departments were finding out that work with this issue aren't being notified when the displacements are happening. We're we should be working toward being a city of compassion and of humanity. So when we work toward a low barrier shelter and this issue will not be allowed to fall through the cracks anymore, it's been years and we feel the support from this council and the support at this level then will rise up to the top. We also want to address other issues like Cadwitter mentioned about having services that protect the nonprofits and the folks that are dealing with the unhoused so they feel safe and not intimidated by departments or those that are trying to do their jobs but maybe in not a quite sensitive way. maybe sensitivity training uh for the departments that deal with the unhoused, with the unsheltered could take place so that we have a deeper understanding of this this issue crosses and I'm looking at Councilwoman Burrs. I know how familiar you are and your mother was with domestic violence and I've been on

coalitions decades ago and support that in your work. Thank you. This issue crosses all issues. It intersects everything. So when we address this and by the way in tourism we're talking to people our coalition is almost 300 and we would love for you to join it. The group the page not so big the group is fired up. Um and and so we're hearing about those that deal in transportation issues who talk to tourists a lot and what they're hearing is that people are commenting wow Chattanooga's got a homeless problem unlike other cities. So we shine when we do the right thing by people. We rise when we do the the the best thing for humanity, which is taking care of people and and and there are companion animals, too, which pulls my heartstrings because I heard during the um the the the deathly cold uh temperatures when the people couldn't get in the low barrier in the higher barrier shelters with their animals, with their dogs. And for so many of them, this dog, this connection is their first experience with unconditional love. So, think about all these things and how this connects with everyone and makes our our city shine if we can do the right thing. Thank you all and we'll be here to support this.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council. I do not live in the city of Chattanooga. I do live across the state line in northwest Georgia and Katusa County. My name is Brian Hill. I'm the chairman of the Georgia Highlands Labor Chapter as well as political director for Village Without Borders. We've been working hand in hand with CADS witter and Missy Crutchfield to help with the unhousing situation. And where I come into this, I'm trying to get my local municipalities across the state line to help with the unhoused situation. I met with a couple of different organizations today where we are learning how Georgia municipalities are dealing with the situation, much of which they are overburdening your resources to help your problem. And I would like to help Georgia municipalities to help share the responsibility of their unhoused and help them get up upwards, if you will. Uh I don't know if you're all aware, but FIFA is happening this year and it's happening in Atlanta. And like with any major event, Atlanta and the state of Georgia will bust out the homeless out of Atlanta to other major cities. And I want to know want to know if y'all are ready to take in that sudden influx of people come July. Um, other than that, uh, I'd like to offer support and helping make connections to whoever we can to help with your own house situation, help other municipalities take responsibility. Uh, my number is 706464224 and my email is Brian Hill4USAgmail.com. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. [applause]

Afternoon. I'm Jeff Garin. District 1. I get this. Um, on April 1st, commercial drywall at 3106 Cumins Highway installed flood lights on the back of their building. Our previously cozy neighborhood was suddenly flooded with an uncomfortably ghostly blue light. The property where I live is bearing the brunt of this light intrusion. I'm a disabled veteran with PTSD and severe chronic pain. The warmly lit porch and greenhouse area we have built is a calming space for me. When this business floods the neighborhood with high color temperature light, the birds think it is daytime and screech all night long. This assault of light and sound has had an immediate negative effect on my physical health. The stress is exacerbating my military service related ailments. After an initial complaint to code enforcement, the lights were off from April 3rd to April 24th. When the lights came back on starting on April 24th, another code complaint to code enforcement was closed, stating they couldn't resolve the complaint. I've received varying answers on the ability of the city to enforce these codes. We reached out to Joe Graham and Chip Henderson, and since May 2nd, the lights have been off. The physical symptoms I was experiencing have improved. Every night at dusk, I have significant stress waiting to see if the lights will be turned back on for a third time. I'm here to ask that section 38-47 of the city code be fully enforced to preserve the comfortable environment that residents have joyed here for decades. This means ensuring businesses have their external luminires directed away from residential zones and uses and ensuring that lights are 3200 Kelvin or below in corrected color temperature and do not cascare into residential areas. The business is better secure secured, excuse [clears throat] me, by investing in video cameras to monitor their property without necessary unnecessary light pollution.

[sighs] A petition has been signed by at least one resident from each of the permanently occupied dwellings and lines of sight of these lights asking that our neighborhood remain a comfortable place to live, sleep, and enjoy the unique nighttime view of Lookout Mountain that makes living here a gift. Thank you.

Thank you. petition. [clears throat] My name is Lyall Hastings, also District 1 living in Lookout Valley. Um, I just wanted to add a couple of um graphic representations of what the problem is and and how many people have been affected by it. each of the houses of of the people that were living there have signed a petition. This just gives you a better overview of what's going on. [snorts] The second is just explaining and showing how intense the the light is. We are directly behind this building. We are the first people that are getting this and you can see how bright these lights are. If you have any questions, please let me know. Um as um we we did contact um county council and as well as uh city council on this and we that they [snorts] have um pursued code enforcement on this. Also changes are supposed to be made underway. Um and we don't have a timeline on that yet but we're um it's being worked on. The concern here is that the light could come back on at any time since that happened before with no no warning or anything else or resolution to the problem. If I may, I can pass these two.

We have a couple of u comments or questions here, sir. Yes, [clears throat and cough] Mr. Chair Elliot. No, this isn't for you. Sorry. Yeah. Um, Missy, can you and your group stay afterward? And Chief Huitt and, uh, Deputy Chief uh, Leford, could y'all stay with me as well? Thank you so much. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Councilman Henderson. Thank you, Mr. Hastings. Uh, Miss Kim White is back there in the back. Miss Kim, raise your hand so that they can You've already talked to him. Yes, sir. Okay. During the

Okay, great. I I knew she had an update for you and Kim is who I've been working with to try to get this resolved. So hopefully we can get you taken care of.

Uh the the next thing, Mr. Chairman, I wanted to point out was about the homeless removal. And let let me just say, um our homeless department, uh Casey Tinker, u we have an issue in Lookout Valley right now. uh he notified me a week ago about uh he said that he and CPD were going to go out and speak to the individuals, let them know that they were going to have to be to move off of the uh premises. There no trespassing signs and the owners would like to see the homeless camp removed. Uh they have talked to the individuals. They have let them know when they have to be, you know, be packed up and gone by. So there is communication uh from the city to these camps that are having to be removed for whatever reason. Uh one of the individuals I believe they're going to be able to help u some of the other ones maybe were a little bit more difficult situation. I agree. Low bel uh low barrier uh shelter is is what we're what we're needing. But uh until we get there, I just want you to understand that there is communication going on with these individuals so that it's not just a surprise to them when the you know when they go out and their camp is removed. But uh but and Casey called me again today to give me an update. So he's been in touch with me. He's been in touch with the uh individuals at the homeless camp. So there is at least some communication going on there.

Okay, that's all. Mr. Chair, thank you. [snorts] Council, I don't see that we have any other business in front of us. Can I get a motion? Second. All in favor? Wejourned.