We respectfully request that steep slopes and floodplains be put on the next possible Council agenda, with the outcome being for the City Council to provide the RPA with sufficient direction to take the Natural Resources Assessment, reconvene the advisory and technical committees, and provide recommendations to City Council.

It was nearly two years ago, on December 18, 2018, that City Council passed Resolution No. 29748 authorizing the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency “to analyze the City’s steep slopes and floodplain challenges. Following this analysis, based on best practice research and public input, the RPA will develop recommendations for an ordinance and other zoning tools that address development activity in environmentally sensitive areas such as steep hillsides and floodplains.”

The analysis has happened, with extensive input by an advisory group and technical group, resulting in the "Natural Resources Assessment," which stated:

"Based on the review of the existing natural resources and land development trends in Chattanooga, existing regulations, land use plan recommendations, and community concerns, staff is recommending the following concepts for City Council’s consideration. These concepts have not been refined to the point that they would be ready to implement, because their purpose is to illustrate choices at a higher level.

"Once the Council provides guidance on how staff should proceed with the project, staff will then be able to draft any new regulations, policies, or other zoning tools at a later stage."

But the second component, recommendations, has not happened, in great part because the RPA has been awaiting guidance from the Council relative to parameters and scope--for nearly one year! Also in great part because the Home Builders Association somehow interpreted the assessment as being recommendations and has been pushing back, saying the recommendations would put builders out of business and cause housing prices to go up. But there have been no recommendations!

We feel strongly that enough time remains so that the current Council can have in its legacy that you were the ones who took strong steps to protect our scenic hillsides and floodplains, preserve the natural and scenic integrity of our city, and maintain the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

In the nearly two years since the resolution passed, despite strong citizen input expressing concern, many developers have cleared land in ways that will jeopardize the city’s natural beauty, its reputation as a premiere outdoor recreation city, and its residents’ quality of life. In many cases, these practices have threatened the property values of neighboring homeowners.

In the meantime, the RPA continues to await guidance from the Council to fulfill the terms of the Resolution.

Specifically, the Resolution directed to "develop standards that regulate the development and construction activity on steep hillsides and floodplains that would apply to site development activities, even when no rezoning is being requested…and to explore a variety of standards and incentives for regulating the location, mass grading and clearing, reforestation, impervious surface, and intensity of development and construction activities on steep hillsides and floodplains.”

In the Resolution, City Council agreed that “the existing zoning regulations and other codes are inadequate to guide development activity in steep slopes and floodplains in a manner that preserves and protects the City’s scenic hillsides and floodplains.” The Resolution also noted that “the comments received at the public hearing supported the need to adopt clear and consistent development standards for development occurring on steep hillsides and in floodplains so as to protect their natural and scenic integrity, and to minimize associated impacts from storm water run-off."

Why has the Council not sought recommendations on how to address these issues?

Neither the advisory nor technical committee has met since the "Natural Resources Assessment" was issued in October 2019. In fact, very little has happened. The Council has provided one public hearing yet several opportunities for the Home Builders to provide input. The Council also received recommendations from a private individual (apparently requested by one Council member) relative to vegetation and clearing, but the development of those recommendations had no input from the RPA or the Land Development Office.

As it stands today, the City Council has turned its back on the concerns of your constituents and taken no action to protect the natural assets of the city. You have dropped the ball by reviewing the RPA’s analysis but not requesting their recommendations.

The current Council has barely six months left, but that’s enough time to ask the RPA to reconvene the committees, get everyone around a virtual table, and allow the RPA's experienced and capable staff to provide the recommendations specified in the Resolution.

There’s likely more that the public and the Home Builders Association agree on than differ on. So let’s work together to save our city.