Mayor Kelly explains what’s behind the new zoning codes for Chattanooga

He says they will address the city's need for more affordable housing

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF) – Chattanooga’s Mayor says an overhaul of zoning codes for the city was three years in the making.

Mayor Tim Kelly says the changes should boost his push for more affordable housing in Chattanooga.

The new zoning codes give builders more options on what they can develop on their property.

The Mayor hopes the changes will encourage more townhomes and multi-family buildings on smaller lots.

“We’ve been hard at work since I took office to address the nationwide affordable housing crisis, and this major legislation is another big step in the right direction,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “It took three hard years of work to get here, but it will be worth it as we build a vibrant Chattanooga that everyone can afford to live in. I want to thank the City Council, especially District 4 Councilman Darrin Ledford, whose work on this issue as chairman of the Planning & Zoning Committee was crucial.”

The change was unanimously approved by the city council Tuesday night.

The previous code was created in 1961 for single unit homes built on large lots.

The mayor says the old code wasn’t helping address the affordable housing needs of today.

“This transformation of our code makes it much easier to respond to the housing needs of the people we serve instead of fighting against our own code,” said Senior Advisor Chris Anderson, who oversaw the zoning reform work. “This new zoning code increases density standards across the board, allowing more units per acre and increasing the number of zones where you can build different types and styles of housing. Experts agree that Chattanooga needs to increase density in urban areas to increase the supply of housing on the market, and this will help us do that.”

A big change in the code reduces lot sizes.

The old code required a lot to be 7,500 square feet for a single house.

Now that goes down to 5,00 square feet in the urban core.

The new code also includes mixed -use zones, intended to revitalize corridors along Brainerd Road, Rossville Boulevard and Highway 58.

Now developers can put homes closer to the road and put parking in the rear.

But no one’s property is automatically getting rezoned.

The mayor says the city will now begin a mapping process to determine which properties belong to which zoning code.