Planning and zoning committee defers several rezonings, considers short‑term rental map change and open‑space park at airport

The Chattanooga City Council’s planning and zoning committee on Oct. 7 reviewed several zoning cases and ordinance amendments, deferred or accepted withdrawals on multiple items and requested a presentation on a new airport open‑space park.

Karen (city planning staff) told the committee that Case 2020Five-134 on Dayton Boulevard had an applicant request to withdraw and that the paperwork had been submitted. Another case, 20205-124 (Murray Hills Drive), was the subject of ongoing discussion and the applicant asked for a 60‑day deferral for community coordination, Karen said. Alan Jones, consultant for the property owner, had met with staff and neighborhood stakeholders, the committee was told.

Item J (20205-1128), a rezoning on East 14th Street, drew detailed staff concern and a planning commission recommendation to deny. Karen said the site is ‘‘half a block north’’ of a commercial corridor along Main Street, surrounded on two sides and to the north by residential zoning, and that the plan recommends it remain residential. Staff noted practical problems including required landscaping buffers on the small lot and a proposed parking layout that would block the sidewalk and prevent vehicles from reversing safely. The planning commission also recommended denial.

Councilman Chip Clark (District 5) spoke in favor of a narrow short‑term vacation rental overlay amendment on Shawhan Road that was initiated at his request. Clark said the applicant for the overlay had obtained unanimous consensus from the neighborhood association and signatures of adjacent neighbors and that the request was a ‘‘special consideration’’ for an owner‑occupied property with an accessory dwelling unit.

The committee also reviewed two technical ordinance amendments requested by the Land Development Office: a change to the form‑based code to prevent repeated annual improvements from cumulatively defeating thresholds (staff proposed measuring cumulative improvements over a five‑year period and triggering review when improvements reach or exceed 50 percent of market value) and a cleanup of a landscape buffer table header that had typographical issues. Karen said the changes were meant to close an enforcement loophole and improve clarity, not to change substantive standards.

Councilwoman Jenny Burrus asked that Jack McAfee be invited to make a presentation on an airport open‑space project that would create an accessible park and play features near the runway’s Shallowford Road end; committee members asked staff to check airport security and runway‑expansion plans. Staff said the proposed park would be fenced and outside the flight path; Administrator Anderson said the city had no information about any runway expansion.

Most zoning items that lacked opposition or were still being refined will return to a future council meeting for public hearing and final action. Committee minutes were approved by motion at the start of the session.