I'll call the order this May 5th meeting of Chattanooga City Council and recognize Councilman Henderson to lead us on our pledge and invocation.

Congratulations of the United States of America and through the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God's draw.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Reading from Numbers chapter six, verse 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.

All right.

Thank you, Councilman.

As we get started, I just want to welcome everyone who's in the audience tonight.

Just a reminder, if you would make sure your cell phones are silent so we don't have any interruptions as we go along.

And also want to give just kind of an overview of how our meeting will operate, so you'll know what to expect.

We do have a couple of short special presentations here at the outset.

After that, we will 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'll 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 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 brief overview of our coming fiscal year budget.

Good afternoon, council.

Good afternoon.

I'm 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 coming days and weeks.

We'll kind of get into the the nuts and bolts of everything and really dig in and look forward to that discussion as as we move forward.

Uh, 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 gonna 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.

Um, 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 Mary Kelly's one Chattanooga plan.

Um a couple highlights just at the top.

Um, this budget includes a three percent COA for sworn and civilians, 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 1930.

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 million,980,000, so just a hair under 394 uh broken out into the buckets you see there 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 of all municipalities of state of Cennessee 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 uh 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 of 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, 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 percent of the budget goes to salaries and benefits.

That's our investment in the employees that do 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, I think fuel maintenance for the city fleet, things of that nature, and then others kind of everything else that falls in would fall under that.

So materials and supplies, uh, travel, things like that.

So that was general operating budget moving it to capital.

Uh, this is this year's budget includes 33.4 million dollars 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 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, 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 was spoke about this this afternoon, wastewater with their class A and some of the things that they're doing.

Uh so 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 children commission.

The timeline again, we discussed it at two o'clock uh today, but uh this is the general timeline as laid out.

So the next two weeks with potential for that that 26 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 six, seven hundred 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 the printed the online version, the digital copy.

So you can download that if you'd prefer to um 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 year to year 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 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 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.

So I think we have Jay coming up now from our public works department for uh proclamation.

Yeah, look at that.

Good afternoon, members of council.

How's everybody doing?

All right.

It's uh for public works weeks, public work weeks.

That's going to be May 17th through the 23rd.

All of you will be getting advice invites so that you can come out and see what we're doing, participate in the 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 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.

Signed.

Thank you.

Any questions?

No lights on the board.

No, just uh 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?

Okay.

Minutes will stand as published.

If we would council look at our agenda for this week, we do have one.

Looks like four items on final reading, four ordinances on final reading.

Any questions about those.

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 in the I think year 1887.

Um, and for 95 years, the owners of the 1109 spears have openly and continuously utilized the first 100 feet of this right-of-way as their driveway.

And right um, if we have four lots that have been landlocked, with the exception of this right-of-way, but it's a right-of-way in theory, in that it's at a 34-35 percent 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's a concern to me, at least, insofar as uh this particular uh area here would be um involving something that has been on the plates uh for a hill city subdivision since 18 uh 87.

Uh because of that, um, I'm concerned that it never got billed out because of either the steepness or the issues that were going on in that area over that period of time.

Uh I actually looked at back in the um night uh 1889 uh spears 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 the hill.

Uh I I once upon a time had an issue of a timesful 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 uh the subdivision was uh I guess uh 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 that was designed for the Changa 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'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 resubdivision 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 uh not able to be accessed from Spears Avenue, and even though there is no uh 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 uh in this case, Mr.

Caldwell apparently because of the steepness of this area, has a uh 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 gonna do for the future?

So what I just heard you say was repeat back to me the problem I asked.

Which was I've got these blocked lots.

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 unblinking on the word, um out of out of character, um nonconforming.

My my concern is whether you need to uh have an abandonment of the right-of-way or whether you talk about something that reconsiders this subdivision in the area here at this point in time.

And uh that may involve more than one property owner than potentially would require yeah, lots of property owners who have owned properties since 18 something and maybe don't even know they own it.

Um they have not done anything with it.

That's the other aspect of it.

And 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 nine-month the way it is with zoning?

I don't believe so.

I believe just an abandonment could be brought back at any time here in the 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 tabling it for a short period of time and then we we can go forward.

Okay.

Okay, thank you very much.

Okay.

Clears my steep slope.

Woo-hoo.

Thank you, Phil.

Lot of rock then too.

A 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 it abandoning a portion of the unopened right-of-way 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 Um Oaks, which is uh down Graham Road, um on behalf of 200 plus families because of the deplorable conditions of Graham Road.

Uh it just cannot sustain anything until we've got a concrete unintended 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 developer 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 gonna 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, I think it's okay.

On the planning.

Um the first read for those.

Um planning item C and D both are in district seven.

And so item C.

Um, I did get a note this morning from Karen Renick regarding the pre-submittal.

So if she can come up and explain that a bit on the record for us, because they the applicants here.

Is that them over here?

I don't know.

I guess okay, but if she can just kind of explain that pre-submittal last week, uh prior to this, I asked for a deferral uh so that the applicant can do a pre-submittal 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 pre-submital, and that that had not happened by the time of the second reading, so it's deferred here for the applicant to do a pre-submittal, and there were two items that was specifically supposed to speak um about is part of the pre-submittal.

One of them was um the inability to park in the right-of-way, or it's 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, and 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, Keris.

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 the perception of ease and perception of less cost and 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 gonna do uh a project, you're gonna have an engineering hourly billable or a contract billable.

You're gonna 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 two o'clock strategic planning meeting.

We'll have a budget committee meeting next week during our agenda session.

And there are some ordinances on final reading from this week, and then ordinances on first reading.

Any questions as we look through those?

Please hit your lights, and we have councilwoman noel.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Yes, uh ordinance on the first read on the planning.

Um, that would be G for me.

Um, I have not spoken with the individuals, so I did uh send a text to Mrs.

Renett 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.

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 and speak about 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 not gonna move forward uh with purchasing those shares right now.

So okay.

Thank you, Weston.

Okay.

Moving along, then council, we'll take a look at items on future consideration.

Any questions about any of those items?

Maybe I will note that there have been some details added with regard to the couple of items there on the change orders for the um Walnut Street walking bridge, and hopefully those details will be helpful to 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.

Start with Chairwoman Hill, Councilwoman Hill.

Uh first um, first question I have both of these relate to uh public works items is uh and I know what and uh I want to talk about the moving of the dirt and then I want to talk about the bridge.

So um I say that we're we're gonna be asked to make a change about to rescind a resolution for disposal fees.

This is item four.

Um, but then we're also being asked to approve disposal fees um for Alton Park.

Um so I want to make sure that the six hundred and fifty thousand dollars that were being asked is the same amount that we're rescinding 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 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.

The landfill 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 rescinding the 250 and adding that in.

The 650 includes equipment usage, uh, fuel, labor, and all of the processes with the dirt.

Okay.

So what we were paying with the 250 was just the delivery of the dirt.

Um I'd 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 land filling it somewhere.

There's such a cost to pick it up and move it and pay to land fill it.

Yes, move.

When do we have the opportunity to create earthworks that are interesting that add community benefit as opposed to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting dirty dirt in a dirty pile?

Just something pleased to consider.

Yes, ma'am.

Um, okay.

The other questions are about what's going on with the walnut street bridge and um 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 30 percent really 34 percent increase overall in the total cost of the project.

Yes, ma'am.

Um, and that the engineering design portion.

This was wild to me.

Um, that in that number we have uh they originally bid 408,000 on the job and are now expected to be able to bill 2.8 million dollars on the job.

That's more than six times what their original bid was.

Um, and I understand it's an old bridge.

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 gonna 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, man, 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.

2.8 additional from city, so 15 million from the city at this point.

Which I will say 15 million dollars for a 52 million dollar 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.

Uh-huh.

And the surface transportation block grant.

Okay.

And what do those total?

I'm not sure, ma'am.

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.

Uh-huh.

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, it 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.

And this may this is under public works.

Um, I'd like to get a more little more information on uh 10 Batter, 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.

Good afternoon, counsel.

Good afternoon.

Uh so just as a reminder, the um premise or on-site sign code was amended last year, and the off-premise or billboard section was not.

And we uh at Land Development Office working with RPA determined to do that second phase at a later date, and so this is just uh very high-level administrative start to that.

So essentially uh the off-premise 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.

They're just it's basically a scrivener's error 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 I do have some information that will be included with the resolution that you'll get the following week that will have 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.

All right.

Okay.

Any other questions, council?

I feel like I have to ask what your last name is since J.

Wood.

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.

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.

All right, did you catch all of that?

In sync.

All right, so minutes will stand uh as published.

I just want to a quick note 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 Elliott's 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 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 play attention to who we are and make sure they match with the nameplates in front of us or do a little more research 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 gonna 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 gonna be talking about today.

Uh today we um we'll be talking about the planning and zoning cases as I mentioned that will be on our agenda for next week, and I believe Karen Rennick will have one update as she normally will, she'll 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 Rennick 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 Knoll 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?

Okay.

So I've added item I for review today.

Anything else?

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 2026-0034.

Okay.

So this is property in the 700 block of Shallowford Road and the 2000 block of Jenkins Road.

We had a question at Planning Commissioner, someone at Planning Commission.

We did we had incorrect addresses.

We have fixed that since then.

This is a request to rezone 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 Shallowford Road and Jenkins.

It's primarily single unit residential to the west and south.

There's vacant property immediately at the corner.

And then Grace Baptist is across the chart, excuse me, across Shallowford Road.

So the four corners of Shallowford Road and Jenkins show us having commercial zoning on historic zoning maps.

So sometime maybe since the mid 1960s, those have been zoned commercial.

And then a small portion of the southwest corner was expanded westward in 1999, was rezoned to C2 with conditions.

So we did note in the staff recommendation and reminded the applicant that those conditions placed on the zoning in 1999 were still active.

So there's been a series of zoning cases in or near this site.

There's a 2007 request for commercial development that was denied by city council.

2015 request to rezone for apartments that was denied by city council, and then most recently in 2025, there was a request to rezone for hotel and restaurant, and staff and planning commission recommended denial in that case was withdrew withdrawn.

So 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 that's been zoned historically zone commercial.

Um so the area in gray was the area proposed for rezoning.

Um that area shrunk during the zoning process.

So the site plan and the legal description for council action is the area now shown in gray.

So just as a this is what was the original request was, and then the revision as it went through the process.

So staff had noted that the proposed original proposed CC zoning doesn't align with the adopted plan or expansion of a neighborhood node, but um the neighborhood does know 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 the gas station pump area, and um that because there is no there are no proposed use, and might not necessarily support the neighborhood service use.

Um staff recommended denying the applet's 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 rezoning 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 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 planning commission 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 site, and staff continued with a recommendation of that revised area with the condition.

There was opposition present, concerned about noise and lighting, some of that in relationship to the noise that can come with a car wash, concern about commercial expansion down westward down Shallowford Road, and then safety of kids with turning movements.

And there was some discussion about provision of sidewalks to Planning Commission.

So Planning Commission had a similar recommendation of staff, which is to deny the applicant's request and shrink that area of that commercial area being rezoned with the condition shown.

Since then, we've had some discussion with the applicant, and LDO has been helpful, making sure understanding the car washes are prohibited uses, what the impact that condition would mean.

Councilman Harvey.

Thank you, Chairwoman.

Thank you, Karen.

Spent a lot of time on this zoning case.

I was met with the uh the developer and was present for the community meeting.

Um so I have heard both sides of this at length.

Um 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 to 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 dry vials and maybe signage, and so um the proposed applicant is a WIGL's.

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 drive aisles 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 I will pass that information along to you.

Okay, all right, thank you.

Um 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 Shallowford Road 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 hand-drawn commercial area.

Yes, that is um in I back in the day, they um the zoning pattern would follow, they would rezone intersections, and sometimes this is an example of like 300 feet from the right-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.

Uh 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 and 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 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 uh okay, I'll I'll wait to hear back from that because I I do uh hope that's part of uh their self-imposed uh conditions.

And it's and it's not a condition um placed on that that is included in the 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.

Um 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, uh actually much at all.

Um, but this we do.

Um and so I feel like this um with those conditions would be something beneficial uh to this area um just again because they're willing to uh make these improvements.

Um it's a cleaner, tighter uh 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 uh 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 or a good 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 also in district.

This is an 1800 block of Ferris Road and the 7300 Bac of Crane, and so the um properties um that are subject to rezoning are shown in yellow, they're half block off gun barrel, and this is for parking for Erlanger East, which is shown in that blue circle, and to help you orange, you know, Hampton Place Mall is shown there in orange, just to um kind of help you locate.

So the request is a rezoning from RN16 residential neighborhood zone to the INST institutional zone.

The applicant is um recommended um some conditions as part of their rezoning, which is no vehicular access to Ferris and a 20-foot 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 rezoning 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 rezonings for that section of gun barrel activity over time.

Um, the R 16 property was equivalent to C zoned to that from R1 and 2025.

The site 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 go 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 rezone from R 16 to institutional is intended to expand the parking lot.

The 2022 Area 11 East Brainerd 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 an 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 use is remained to the north and west while medical and institutional uses are located the south and east.

Um the staff recognize the INST zone.

That's the news uh 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 uh pr 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 rezoning 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 conditions 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 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 berm 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 use is along gun barrel.

And this is a response to the feedback at Planning Commission.

And so that shared property line is between the medical office along gun barrel and then the proposed parking lot.

And that was at the request, and just to 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.

Much needed parking for Erlinger East.

I can personally uh attest to needing uh parking in a hurry uh at the emergency department and not being able to find it.

And when you're hurting, you want the front door.

Um so that this is this is definitely needed because we're continuing.

It fun fact um Erlinger East emergency department sees more patients a day than any of the other Erlinger hospitals around this area, including downtown, which is is pretty amazing.

So uh this is a site that's just growing the this hospital's growing and growing, and and we need we need a place to park.

So 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 commission number 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.

In fact, 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 it planning commission.

Um, there was a get my understanding was that people are um kind of cutting from Erlinger East, kind of cutting across to 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 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.

I also, yeah, just to tag on to that councilwoman Hill, the property owner this that is in front that it'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 gonna 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 is mind-boggling to me when we have we have gun barrel road, which does have sidewalks, but uh are they so uh uh uh so I'm just thinking so so these people at 1815, 1809, 1801 don't want people using their property to get to them because there's not a drive entrance here.

I think it's just 1801.

That's correct.

There's just 1801 drive entrance.

This is a moat wall.

Which is a medical office, but does not so it's not Erlinger saying no, it's you might 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 back side, we don't have a fence.

We have a 20-foot berm, which I mean, uh 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 H20260039.

Send District 9.

Sir.

So this is a rezoning at 1508 East 13th Street, and the request just rezoned from RN15 residential neighborhood zone, which is at um primarily single unit zone to the TRN3 traditional residential neighborhood zone.

It's for a um the proposal is for two two-unit 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 TRN3 zone to the west of this site.

That was rezoned to urban general commercial at the time, which was um then equivalency zone to TRN three, and it had a similar use to what the applicant is requesting.

The site is immediately surrounded by single unit detached residential un uses, and then that multi-unit residential use just to the west.

The historic river to ridge plan promotes a multi-unit housing such as duplexes, three and four-unit multifamily housing, cottage courts, and ADUs in order to provide more housing options in proximity to tramit 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 TRN three zone 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 three 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-street parking and access from the rear alley only.

Um, there was opposition present.

Um there was um someone there was concerned about stormwater runoff and planning commission spent a lot of 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-street 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 email me the planning commission recommendations?

I will.

Um and I'll take it from there.

And I will note um the applicant um 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.

Are you good?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, I see no other lights for this matter.

I do want to backtrack to item F, and I guess this is um Mr.

Attorney.

I know I want to defer that one 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 2026-0046.

District 9 as well.

This is a request on for to rezone on Dodds Avenue.

1601 Dodds to rezone from RN2 to the TRN3 zone.

And the applicant to put to rezone for an eight unit multi-unit residential development.

And so development form was this is backing up to the mill town developments.

There's a lot of rezoning activity in the area, but more specifically to this site.

The property to the um adjacent property of the south was rezoned to UGC in 2023, an equivalency map to TRN3, and I have a picture which might trigger a memory of that rezoning.

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 rezoned to C3 with conditions as part of the mill town 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 mixed use development.

Again, Milltown is developed since then by the aerial photograph.

You can see some of the activity associated with that.

Just help orient.

This is a site from 16th Street and a picture of the site from Dodds Avenue, the um house to the left or the residential unit to the left was the one that um that was rezoned to TRN3, also.

So staff found um the um the rezoning is in accordance with the plan.

The historic river to ridge area three plan recommends a mixed use commercial place type.

Um it divines as transitioning commercial corridors um to um more dense and pedestrian friendly pattern with multi-store buildings and mix of residential and office uses.

Um public works transportation did flag to us that Dodds Avenue is a state route, which will prohibit curb cuts.

Um, and the zoning ordinance prohibits multi-unit residential development backing out on Dodds 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 uh recommending to prove with no curb cuts on Dodds Avenue, no opposition at Planning Commission, and a similar recommendation from Planning Commission.

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 because we had kind of a generic on our side.

We have I think a generic multi-unit residential, but uh believe the application narrative said an eight-unit um multi-unit residential development.

Do you have any type of site plan?

Are they looking to keep the keeping the existing structure and converting that structure?

Oh, okay.

I will confirm that though, since all the it'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 Dodds Avenue, and so it looks like if you see and I think it's this picture that kind of shows the parking, a little bit of the 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.

Uh looks like something like that, but just because you show it on the site planning submit for rezoning doesn't make it 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 order, 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.

Councilwoman Hill.

Thank you.

So can you go to the picture where we see the house beside it?

That 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.

Like a curb cut though.

Prior to rezoning.

But I can confirm action on that one because that one's the one that got rezoned not too long ago, and I can see what they have.

So it looks like there's a curve 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 Dodds 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 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 had a table, and then the graphic was just reinforcing what you saw on 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're just asking for that to be put back in to help.

Okay.

Chairman, your light is still on.

Do you have a comment about this?

Or well, my light is still on.

How can I?

I appreciate this script this description because it helps 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.

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 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 Ledford 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 funding.

And I want to thank Karen and Mandy and Felicia Blackman uh for leading 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, because 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.

Okay.

Okay, uh, we will recess until 515.

So we are back in session.

Madam Clerk, if you would please read items 7A through C as a package.

Second.

We have a motion to approve and proper second.

Are there any questions or comments about these items?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Items pass on final reading.

Um item 7D, please, Madam Clerk.

In ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code Part 2, Chap 38 zoning ordinance.

So as to reason two on addressed properties in the 1,000 block of Shallowford Road from RN16 residential neighborhood zone to TRN2, traditional residential neighborhood zone subject to certain conditions.

Move to approve.

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 please read item 8A, Madam Clerk.

In ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopened right-of-way in the 100 block of Truich 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 we have some concerns about the potential of creating landlocked lots, even though said lots would also not be buildable.

So we're gonna 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 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 ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of the unopened right away in the 8100 block of Graham Road as detailed on the attached maps 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 uh being at a uh 39.54 on the PCI scale in a petition that was started on the neighbors of Graham Road with more than 200 plus families that it represents.

Uh 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 uh we need time to to plan that, and so I make a motion to table this item, please.

Council, we have a motion properly seconded to table item eight B, the alternate version.

Any questions or comments?

All in favor, uh any opposed.

And this item also is tabled.

Item 8C, please.

In ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code Part 2, Chapter 38 zoning ordinance.

So it's reasonable property located at 4300 Dodds Avenue from RN2 residential neighborhood zone to CR regional commercial zone.

Okay, and this is planning item 2026-0018.

Is the applicant present?

Is there any opposition present?

See none.

Councilwoman Dotley.

So sorry, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

After uh well during our recess, I was able to talk to the applicant as well as planning in 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 the form of a motion.

And and the applicant was present here, and we excused him.

Yes, that's right.

Yes, yes, yes.

Second.

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 8D, please, Madam Clerk.

In ordinance to amend Chat and the City Code Part 2, Chapter 38 zoning ordinance.

So as the resonant properties located at 134, 138, and an unaddressed property in the 100 block of Lynchburg Street from RN2 residential neighborhood zone to TRN1 traditional residential neighborhood zone.

And this is planning item 2026-0020.

Is the applicant on this one present?

Is there any opposition present?

All right.

Councilwoman Dotley, what's your pleasure on this one?

All right, so uh as mentioned earlier, I will be adding two conditions based on our neighborhood meeting yesterday.

Um so first uh move to approve.

Second.

All right, and then uh my amendment is that uh all parking be in the rear of of all the 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 dotly read into the record.

Any questions or comments on are there two conditions or just that one?

It's just the one, it's the only units and parking in rear of all three of the units in the rear of all three units.

Okay, all in favor of the amendment.

Uh any opposed?

Okay, the amendment passes, and we are back on the main motion.

Any questions or comments?

All in favor.

Aye.

Oh motion to approve.

Oh, yeah, motion to approve as amended.

Sorry.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we have a motion properly seconded to approve as amended.

Um any questions or comments?

All in favor, uh any opposed.

All right, and that passes as amended on first reading.

Thank you.

And then um item nine 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, hate Dawson, formally Reagan Smith Associates in three HD LA four barge design solutions, five, Ross Fowler, PC, six, Kimley Horn, seventh, CSDG, Labella 9, ASA, Engineering Consulting Inc.

10 Core Engineering 11 call year and 12 Stantec Consulting Services Inc for an amount not to exceed 1.5 million dollars.

We do have a motion and a proper second.

Council, any questions or comments?

All in favor, uh any opposed.

This resolution passes, and finally, um item B, Madam Clerk.

A resolution authorizing the administrative for the Department of Public Works to enter into a joint funding agreement with the U.S.

Geological Geological Survey, USGS to operate three continuous real-time precipitation gauges and seven continuous real-time stream gauges located on North Chickamauga Creek, South Chickamauga Creek, Chattanooga Creek, Mountain Creek, Wolf Tebra Creek, Lookout Creek, and Farrest Branch for 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 107,464.

We 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, and it 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 five percent increase for years four and five of agreement PA 100699 with second nature software.

This increase is necessary to accommodate additional users.

The total requested increase is 20,838 dollars and 25 cents, bringing the annual spend limit to $50,119 and 65 cents.

Item number two is with technology services.

They are requesting an 11-month extension through March 31, 2027 to agreement PA 100652 for technology integration and security services with convergent technologies.

There will be no increase to the annual spend limit.

And item number three is a one-time purchase and installation of a modular office complex for the police firing range and the amount of 252,913.

The award will go to box modular utilizing source wall contract.

All in favor, uh any opposed.

Thank you, Weston.

All right, we'll go around the dias 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 meeting.

Uh we'll be presenting an amendment to the FY26 budget.

Uh and then we did also have a special presentation this afternoon, Bob.

Uh Mr.

Weston Porter.

Uh he presented the FY27 budget.

And we have our work sessions laid out for May the 12th and May the 19th.

Okay.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Hill.

No report.

Councilman Harvey.

No report.

Councilman Clark.

No report.

Councilwoman Noel.

No report.

Councilwoman Dotley.

No report.

Councilwoman Burrs.

Thank you.

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 June.

All right, thank you.

And Vice Chair Elliott.

No report.

All right.

We're now to that portion of our meeting, but 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 rules.

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 quasi 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 nor use the board of personally attack or personally to integrate 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 Kat Zwitter.

And I'm the executive director of a typical 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.

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 de-escalate 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 interest structure, a low barrier shelter.

We cannot continue clearing encampments without providing people a place to go.

It doesn't work.

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.

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 that Sienna Duncan did and 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 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.

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 we're finding out that work with this issue aren't being notified when the displacements are happening.

Then will rise up to the top.

We also want to address other issues like Kat Zwitter 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 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 in 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 at the group.

The page, not so big.

The group is fired up.

Um 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 best thing for humanity, which is taking care of people and and and their companion animals too, which pulls my heart strings because I heard during the um 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.

I do live across the state line in Northwest Georgia and Catoosa 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 Cad's 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 unhouse situation.

Uh 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 upwards, if you will.

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 706, 406, 424.

And my email is Brian Hill for Catusa at gmail.com.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Afternoon.

I'm Jeff Garrin of District One.

Um, on April 1st, commercial drywall at 3106 Commons 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 in 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.

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 enjoyed here for decades.

This means ensuring businesses have their external luminaires directed away from residential zones and uses and ensuring that lights are 3200 Kelvin or below in corrected color temperature and do not cast glare into residential areas.

The business is better secured secured by investing in video cameras to monitor their property without necessary unnecessary light pollution.

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.

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 the people that were living there have signed a petition.

This just gives you a better overview of what's going on.

The second is just explaining and showing how intense 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 we we did contact um county council and as well as uh city council on this, and we uh that they have um pursued code enforcement on this.

Also, changes are supposed to be made underway.

Um we don't have a timeline on that yet, but we're uh it's being worked on.

The concern here is that the lights could come back on at any time since that happened before with no warning or anything else or resolution to the problem, if I may.

I can pass these two.

We have a couple of uh comments or questions here, sir.

Yes.

Ms.

Chair Elliott.

No, this isn't for you, sorry.

Yeah, um Missy, can you and your group stay afterward and Chief Hewitt and uh deputy chief uh left for Kajal stay support with me as well?

Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Chairman and Councilman Henderson.

Thank you, Mr.

Hastings.

Uh Miss Kim Watt is back there about uh Miss Kim, raise your hand so that they can you've already talked to them?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Uh okay, great.

Uh 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, uh Mr.

Chairman, I wanted to point out was about the homeless removal.

And let me just say um our homeless department uh Casey Tinker.

Um 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's 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, uh 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 uh some of the other ones maybe were a little bit more difficult situation.

I agree, low belt 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.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Council, I don't see that we have any other business in front of us.

Can I get a motion?

All in favor.

All right.

Uh we're adjourned.