The widening of one section of Shallowford Road in East Brainerd is forcing homeowners to cope with traffic driving by the front of some of their homes.

“No one with children would want a home there,” said homeowner Rick Horton. He said he lost 20 feet of his lot to the road widening that is taking place along Shallowford west of Lee Highway.

More than a dozen people living on the 6700 block of Shallowford as well as areas immediately behind those homes attended the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission meeting Monday. The commission considered a request by a homeowner to turn his home into a beauty salon and also discussed an update to the area’s land use plan.

Mehdi Malekzadeh requested the panel rezone his home at 6709 Shallowford Road to allow the small business. The commission voted to deny his request, but the Chattanooga City Council will have the final say on Oct. 14.

“I would hope they (the council) would delay it to have the opportunity for the Shallowford Road policy to be presented to the City Council,” John R. Anderson, Mr. Malekzadeh’s attorney, said after the meeting.

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency had prepared a land use update for the affected areas along Shallowford Road. The agency staff recommended some lots along the busy road remain single-family residential and that some could be rezoned for other uses with careful controls on screening to protect adjacent properties.

The commission asked the planning agency staff to redraft the land use study. Planning Commissioner Jack Benson said that makes sense, since the northern and southern ends of Shallowford are distinct neighborhoods.

Mr. Benson, who moved to deny Mr. Malekzadeh’s request, also is a City Council member who represents the residents on the north side of Shallowford Road. Council member Carol Berz represents residents on the southern side of Shallowford.

“I took the position it was somewhat premature to make a decision based on the road changes not being completed,” Mr. Benson said after the meeting.

Mr. Horton, who lives on the north side of Shallowford near Mr. Malekzadeh, said he thinks commercial uses should be allowed along Shallowford Road. The planning agency’s suggestions, such as having a brick or stucco wall placed between commercial uses and homes made sense, he said. Mr. Malekzadeh also would have been required to retain his property’s residential appearance.

Mr. Anderson said his client made the rezoning request because the road widening changed the nature of his home, where he has lived for about 10 years. Several large trees were removed from the front yard.

“It’s difficult for Mr. Malekzadeh that the road took a significant part of the frontage,” Mr. Anderson said.

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