Mayor Tim Kelly and city leaders announced today their decision to pause pursuit of approval from the Regional Planning Agency of a change of use application for the 12th St. CARTA building, which the City is exploring as a potential site for an emergency shelter.
The City will continue community conversations with members of the MLK Neighborhood and stakeholders, and it chose to defer to demonstrate its commitment to due diligence. The City’s application will not be on the agenda for the November 13,2023 RPA Commission meeting.
City leaders recently hosted its first community conversation with members of the MLK Neighborhood and stakeholders to begin an effort to develop a plan that will lead to a temporary emergency shelter. Referred to as the ‘12th Street Shelter’, the current building will require a permission for a change of use by the Regional Planning Commission.
The City has started the process of holding regularly scheduled meetings with neighbors to develop plans that appropriately balance neighborhood concerns and the need to take a next step in addressing homelessness in Chattanooga.
“Our neighbors and their insights, as well as their concerns, are very important to us,” said Richard Beeland, administrator for the City of Chattanooga’s Department of Economic Development. “Our first meeting proved to be highly successful as we were able to document the questions asked by our neighbors, as well as to consider their input; from additional sites for consideration to rules they would like to see utilized by those coming into the shelter. The result will be a much better fit for those experiencing homelessness, as well as for those providing services to them. More importantly, it will finally provide a long-term strategy that will provide avenues for law enforcement and frontline providers as they meet critical needs of individuals within our community.”
He added, “For far too long, past administrations have gathered important data regarding the issue of homelessness but were unable to take action. We intend to have a plan in place that will work with individuals who are willing to work toward a sustainable future. We will take the necessary time to develop the plan and our actions; however, we don’t want to rush the process.”
Image courtesy Google Maps
The next community conversation will be held on November 15 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at The Bessie Smith Cultural Center, with two more meetings to be set before the holiday period. The City will also post information about the project and questions and answers from the meetings online.