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Council reviews alternate Southside Cowart permit‑parking language; vote deferred to April 28
Summary
Councilwoman Dotley presented an alternate permit‑parking plan for Southside Cowart that would provide Battle Academy hang tags and define hours, notification and appeals procedures; the measure was discussed at length and deferred to the April 28 meeting for final action.
Councilwoman Dotley presented an alternate version of the Southside Cowart neighborhood permit‑parking ordinance and said the document had been submitted to the city attorney for review.
Dotley said the proposal would allow Battle Academy to issue hang tags to parents, teachers and staff for Chattanooga Parking Authority identification purposes, limit hang‑tag validity to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the official school year (with explicit exceptions for approved school events such as summer programs), require Battle Academy to notify the Chattanooga Parking Authority in advance of recurring or individual after‑hours events, and direct that appeals of citations be handled by the Chattanooga Parking Authority rather than by the school. "Battle Academy will provide hand tags to parents, teachers, and staff for Chattanooga Parking Authority identification purposes," Dotley read aloud when outlining the alternate language.
The proposal drew pushback from residents and business owners during public comment. Emily Bylund, PTA president at Battle Academy, told the Council the school is Title I, that 41% of students are eligible for SNAP, and that the school's parking lot has roughly 46 spaces for more than 70 staff and many volunteer adults. "Putting perm‑parking permits on the streets around Battle will impact kids getting into the building," Bylund said, warning that longer car lines could extend across Main Street and affect emergency response times.
Business owner Robert Workman, speaking from Honey Seed, said he regularly observes available curb parking in the area during peak morning times and argued that tighter curb controls would hurt local businesses. By contrast, John Stevens of the Neighborhood Association of Southside Cowart Place said residents had worked for years on a flexible approach and supported a permit option to preserve livability.
Councilwoman Dotley said she and her office had met with school administration, the PTA president and neighborhood representatives and that the alternate language reflected those conversations; she noted she might make minor tweaks before next week's vote. Council members agreed to defer final action until the April 28 meeting to allow the city attorney time to review the alternate language and for further stakeholder engagement.
The Council is scheduled to take the ordinance up for final action on April 28.
