Expanding Chattanooga's Fairmount Avenue Apartments Public Housing Complex Draws Cheers and Opposition

It came a little late, but people who live near Chattanooga's Fairmount Avenue Apartments got their say.

They oppose plans to renovate and expand the public housing complex.. even with a scale back.

People on all sides weighed in Thursday night.

Bonita Johnson, Fairmount Ave. Apartments, "Please do not remove these apartments from North Chattanooga."

Pete Lapina, Friends of Fairmount, "This isn't about us and them. It's about doing the right thing for that area."

Passionate appeals on both sides of a thorny issue.

At the center of the controversy, Fairmount Avenue Apartments.

The housing project has been in North Chattanooga since 1977 and Bonita Johnson has called it home since then.

Johnson, "If you take the presence of Chattanooga Housing out of that area now low income people will not be able to live that side of the river and that's a gross injustice to the public."

But residents who live near the apartments worry about the impacts of a planned expansion.

The Chattanooga Housing Authority got a 4 point 8 million dollar federal grant to rebuild the run down complex... replacing the 28 deteriorating units with 48 energy efficient ones.

Complaints from neighbors led to a scaled back version with 36 units.

Betsy McCright, "I think that the modified plan is a plan that addresses the concerns of the Fairmout residents as well as reached our desire of creating more housing opportunities for low income people. "

Lapina, "The plan as it sits will create anywhere from 50 to 100 new residents on a street that's doubled in population in the last 5 years." Pete Lapina and the Friends of Fairmount insist the development won't be a good fit in the neighborhood.

They point to the narrow, steep street, the absence of sidewalks and lack of street lights.

Lapina, "We would love to see a village built there like Alton Park where it's part of our community. "

CHA approved the original plan in September, before opponents got a chance to give input.

The scaled back plan got federal approval Wednesday night.

Friday CHA will decide whether to take the next step.