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Chattanooga council keeps review of special-exception permits amid liquor‑store concerns; staff to draft code changes
Summary
Council members told the city attorney they want to continue hearing special-exception permits — particularly liquor‑store conversions — and asked staff to draft ordinance language, distance or density limits, and an application checklist including police and code‑enforcement data to return March 17.
Chattanooga City Council members agreed on Tuesday to retain special-exception permits as a council‑level review, asked legal staff for draft code language to shore up denial authority, and directed planning staff to add a public‑safety checklist for applications including police and code‑enforcement records.
The discussion, prompted by multiple liquor‑store applications, centered on whether council denials would survive judicial review and how to give the council defensible standards. City attorney Phil told members a denial must be grounded in specific code provisions or it risks being ruled…
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