300 Apartments Set For 20 Acres On Old Lee Highway; RPA Staff Recommends Denial Of Rezoning

  • Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Plans are underway for 300 apartment units on 20 acres on Old Lee Highway at Pattentown Road.

The request is from Charles Adamson and MT Summit of Peace Church.

The Regional Planning Agency staff is recommending denial of the rezoning request.

The RPA staff said, "The applicant is requesting rezoning of a portion of several parcels to R-3 Residential Zone for an apartment complex.  This case is in tandem with case 2014-125 which accounts for the rezoning for parcels in unincorporated Hamilton County. The most recent site plan identifies the complex as having approximately 300 units or a density of 13.62 dwelling units per acre.  The plan identifies two ingress-egress points, one on Old Lee Highway and one on Pattentown Road. 

 "The 20.51 acre site is currently vacant and heavy vegetated. There is an easement the runs east-west on the site for utilities. The site has an approximate 80’ rise in topography from the northwest edge of the site to the center where the height peaks and then slopes down again to the southeast edge of the property. Property to the northeast and east are zoned R-1 Residential Zone with single-family housing. To the southeast is A-1 Agricultural District in the County which is developed with a church. To the south is an R-1 Residential Zone single-family subdivision which has a through street easement on Bobby Jeffery Dr. To the west is A-1 Agricultural District with single-family housing.

"In 2011, permanent zoning was approved for land annexed by the City of Chattanooga in the Summit area. City Council approval of Case 2011-026 set the current R-1 Residential Zone on the site. 

"This site is within the 2013 Summit Plan which shows this large site being partially in the Light Retail land use and partially in the Transitional land use. The majority of the site falls into the Transitional land use which is noted for office and townhomes. The plan describes the following for this use category: “The land use plan map depicts two different types of transitional uses- one with apartments and one without. The recommended Transitional land use is intended to provide the community additional services and a variety of housing while also serving as a transition or step down from higher-intensity activity such as from commercial uses found in the Heavy and Medium-scale Commercial categories.

"Uses in this land use classification include professional or medial offices, townhomes or other small lot residential housing such as patio homes. The Transitional classification that recommends multi-family housing or apartments is to the far east of the study area. The site design of Transitional areas should focus on elements such as placement of parking, access points, dumpsters, truck delivery, and buildings so that the higher-intensity activity is positioned towards existing non-residential and not towards existing residences. Additional attention should also be given to buffering and landscape elements to help mitigate the noise and activity associated with a business or higher-intensity residential use.”

"There is a specific note that while there are other Transitional land use areas on the plan appropriate for apartments, this site is deemed inappropriate for apartments."

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