February 13, 2023

New STVR Regulations, New CARTA Board, and More

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS

• The city council is considering new STVR regulations. See the February 14 City Council Highlights below for more information.

• The city council will be voting on the appointments of several new CARTA board members. To learn more about CARTA you can listen to Episode #45 of the Chattanooga Civics Podcast.

• The city council is considering the adoption of new Rules of Operation. See the February 21 City Council Highlights below for more information.

FEBRUARY 7 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The strategic planning session recording can be found here.

At this months strategic planning session the council:

• heard a presentation on the new proposed City Investment Policy
• heard a presentation on proposed changes to council rules, including the creation of a new Affordable Housing Committee
• heard a presentation regarding new Short Term Vacation Rental (STVR) rules

The agenda session recording can be found here.

At last weeks agenda session the council:

• discussed an upcoming proposal to allow existing duplexes in R-1 zones to be reopened without the need for a zoning hearing. This applies to duplexes that have lost their certificate of occupancy due to utility shut-offs, condemnation, or other reasons, but it does not allow single family homes to be converted to duplexes or the construction of new duplexes.
• discussed an upcoming proposal to reduce required parking minimums in C-2 zones. The effect of this proposal would allow hotels to convert to permanent housing without the need for a zoning hearing. Currently hotel rooms cannot be converted to permanent housing on a one-to-one basis because permanent housing requires more parking spaces than hotel rooms.

The business session recording can be found here.

At last week’s business session the city council:

• deferred a request to rezone 1622 Bradt Street to R-T/Z until February 14.
• voted to apply for a FEMA grant to purchase three new emergency fire vehicles.
• voted to begin the process of annexation of 1.27 acres along Clark Road in Harrison and the request of the property owner.
• approved 5 routing purchases, including a $2.7M contract for Third Party Administrator Services for IOD Claims.
• Three citizens addressed the council on various topics including the death of Tyre Nichols, an improperly maintained easement, and improper scheduling of a Public Works employee. You can watch the full comments here.

The meeting minutes can be found here.

FEBRUARY 14 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The February 14 agenda session has been moved to 2:30pm and the business session has been moved to 4:00pm. The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for next week includes:

• a vote on a request to rezone 1622 Bradt Street to R-T/Z (final reading).
• a vote on new STVR regulations (first reading):
  • Absentee (non-owner occupied) STVRs will have a density cap of 5% of the given units in a multi-family property.
  • Absentee STVRs cannot be located within 500ft of one another in a single-family zone.
  • Ownership information and contact information for each STVR shall be posted on a public website.
  • Homestay (owner occupied) STVR permits will have an application fee of $500 and an annual renewal fee of $250.
  • Absentee STVR permits will have an application fee of $500 and an annual renewal fee of $750 of which $250 will go directly to the City’s Affordable Housing Fund.
  • Each STVR must have an agent available 24/7 and able to appear on premise within 2 hours.
  • Violations of STVR regulations will be punishable by a fine of up to $500 per violation per day.
  • The moratorium on new STVR permits will stay in place until July 10, 2023 to allow the city enforcement officers to adjust to the new regulations before new permits are issued.
  • An STVR Board will be created to hear appeals and moderate disputes. The board shall consist of 5 members appointed by the mayor and 4 members appointed by the city council.
  • One year from the passage of the new regulations the city council shall consider lifting the STVR district overlay and allow STVRs in all city districts.
  • You can read the full proposal here.
• a vote to adjust the duties of the Administrative Hearing Officer to include litter and overgrowth violations and violations of STVR regulations (first reading).
• votes on a number of rezoning cases (first reading), including:
  • a Planned Unit Development at 3525 Garner Road to construct 46 tiny homes for sale. This case saw opposition at Planning Commission. Planning Commission recommended to approve.
  • a request to rezone 1913 and 1915 Kelly Street to UGC Urban General Commercial for the construction of 26 apartment uints. Planning Commission recommended to approve.
  • a request to rezone to entire city block bounded by Williams Street, 27th Street, Cowart Street, and 26th Street to UGC Urban General commercial for the construction of a mixed use development including retail, apartments, and single family homes. Planning Commission recommended to approve.
  • a request to rezone 2341 Jenkins Road to R-T/Z for the construction of 6 townhomes. This case saw opposition at Planning Commission. Planning Commission recommended to approve.
  • a request to rezone 2109 Raulston Street to R-T/Z for the construction of a quadplex. Planning Commission recommended to deny.
• a vote to approve a new City Investment Policy.
• votes to confirm the appointments of Leandra Sanderfur, Johan Denyschen, Evann Freeman, Stephen Culp, Arcie Reeves, Corey Evatt, Daniela Peterson, Bill Nye, and Charita Allen to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority.
• votes to confirm the appointments of Michael Mallen, Mark Harrison, and Kevin Boehm to the Air Pollution Control Board.
• votes to approve several public works contracts (see agenda for full details).

FEBRUARY 21 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

The proposed meeting agenda can be found here.

The proposed city council agenda for next week includes:

• a vote on new STVR regulations (final reading).
• a vote to adjust the duties of the Administrative Hearing Officer to include litter and overgrowth violations and violations of Short Term Vacation Rental Regulations (final reading).
• votes on a number of rezoning cases (final reading).
• a vote to confirm the appointment of Phillip Noblet as City Attorney.
• a vote to adopt new Rules of Operation for the Chattanooga City Council. You can read the proposed rules here.
• a vote to allow the waiver, release, and termination of reversionary interests and reconveyance rights with Erlanger Hospital.
• votes to confirms the appointments of Alexis Kennedy, Chausie Neal, Christie Morris, Christopher Cooper, Donald Sanderfur, George Ricks, Janice Gooden, Jillian Sanderfur, Kevin Scott, Ma’Cia Rudolph, Micah Chapman, Molly Anderson, Shiloh McCulley, Terryl James, and Tom Hirsch to Community Advisory Committees.
• votes on various Parks and Outdoors, Planning, and Public Works agreements (see agenda for full details).