During the City Council meeting, there was a discussion about ordinances on the final reading, planning items, and discrepancies between the presentation and language in the actual ordinance.
During the City Council meeting, there was a discussion about discrepancies in proposed fees for Parks and Outdoors, with a clarification that the fees should be zero for entry per person per court with availability.
There was a discussion about proposed changes to user fees, particularly for the Champions Club section, suggesting a move from $2 and $4 fees to no charges before 4:00 p.m., as well as the inclusion of spray park rental references, with a recommendation to proceed with the alternate version.
The discussion continued regarding the alternate version of proposed changes, confirming the spray park rental fee at $300 and a request for deferral on planning item D.
Councilman Hester requested a deferral for planning item 8B, while item C in district 7 was confirmed as good to go, and a discussion about the consequences of taking no action on item F related to de-annexation.
The discussion revolved around the applicant's request for no further financial obligations, the requirement to advertise for annexation completion on records and maps, and the importance of providing public notice through advertising if no action is taken on item F.
The discussion involved Councilman Henderson clarifying that the proposed fill request was at the property owner's request and was based on a specific state statute that came into effect last year, with the acknowledgment that no public hearing was needed for this particular case.
The meeting covered various agenda items including objections or items to be pulled, waste water discussions, purchases, next week's proposed agenda, and future considerations, followed by committee reports on parks and public works and affordable housing, with no attorney-client meeting scheduled.
The meeting included discussions on abandoning an unopened street, authorizing the acceptance of a floating dock donation for water-related events, and seeking a grant for watershed restoration and educational programming in the Mountain Creek Watershed.
The meeting addressed resolutions authorizing grants for watershed restoration and Public Safety equipment procurement, including high water road closure systems and related services, with a total project cost of $120,000 and $343,900 respectively.
The meeting discussed resolutions authorizing the 2023 annual inflation adjustments for financial assurance related to city landfills permits at Summit landfill and Birchwood landfill, in compliance with regulations from the division of solid waste management.
The meeting addressed resolutions authorizing the 2023 annual inflation adjustments for financial assurance related to city landfills permits at Birchwood landfill and Summit landfill, as required by regulations from the division of solid waste management, with changes to decrease the assurance for Birchwood landfill and maintain it for Summit landfill.
The administration presented two pilot requests, one from Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprises for LLY development (16 units) and another for Miltown development (34 units), aiming to create a total of 50 much-needed rental units, with 12 units being held affordable for individuals with lower incomes, such as preschool teachers, sales clerks, and home health aids.
The proposed pilot projects by Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprises, the LLY development (16 units) and Miltown development (34 units), offer critical affordable housing opportunities in a neighborhood with a 30% median rent increase since 2017, surpassing legal requirements and representing a total development cost of $10.5 million, with a waiver of the $5 million standard policy.
The proposed pilot projects have total development costs of about $3.8 million, and the decision to waive the $5 million threshold for pilot projects is based on the recognition that it may not accurately indicate the impact or quality of the units, with the understanding that enforcing it would hinder the production of much-needed units, especially in the Oak Grove and Dods Avenue neighborhoods.
Jake Toner is presenting another pilot application for an 84-unit project, including 32 units in Miltown, made possible through a creative financing approach, land donations, and foundation funds to create a mixed-income community in a redeveloped neighborhood.
The development includes 32 units on the Miltown 17 18 Street site and the purchase of four lots for duplexes on the LLY site, aiming to provide better housing options for families in the Oak Grove neighborhood while engaging the community in neighborhood improvement efforts.
The speaker highlighted community engagement efforts in the neighborhood, collaboration with council members, and introduced the property manager to address property management policies and promote innovative housing projects in Chattanooga.
The speaker provided an overview of two housing projects, one at 1805 South LLY with 16 units and another at 2461 18th Street with multiple buildings and a total of 16 units, highlighting the unit distribution and project details.
The speaker discussed two housing projects, one with 34 units on East 18th Street and another with 16 units on 18th Street, providing details on unit distribution, proposed rents compared to the market, and budget information with sources and uses.
The speaker summarized the request, stating that at least 50% of the units will be allocated to households at 80% or less median income in exchange for the pilot, which will result in estimated initial cost savings of $34,000 for LLY and $59,000 for the Miltown apartments, emphasizing the critical role of the pilot in financing affordable housing projects in Chattanooga.
In response to a question, the speaker clarified that 50% of the buildings will be restricted to households with a median income of 80%, and the project will include nine Project-Based Voucher units, allowing individuals to pay just 30% of their rent up to the maximum fair market rent.
The request for the pilot is to restrict half of the building to families at 80% area median income or less, which translates to approximately $45,000 for a family of one, while offering affordable rents of $1,500 for two-bedroom units compared to the area's market rate rents of $2,100.
During the discussion, it was emphasized that while they are holding rents at affordable limits, they must keep half of the units unrestricted in case of unforeseen issues, and a sketch of the unit on 18th Street was mentioned as a nostalgic reference to past multifamily buildings in District 2.
