$5 million Gunbarrel medical offices proposed in Chattanooga

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Chattanooga developer Ken DeFoor is seen in this file photo.

A local developer plans to build a $4 million to $5 million medical office development at the corner of Gunbarrel and Shallowford roads.

Local planners Monday endorsed a plan by Ken DeFoor, who is behind the development, provided he holds a community meeting to discuss the project before the Chattanooga City Council votes.

At the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency meeting Monday, DeFoor adjusted his plan to address traffic and landscaping concerns. He hopes to put the project in motion as soon as possible.

"I'm trying to put something in that the neighborhood could possibly go by and feel good about," he said.

The development would be near the Twinbrook subdivision. Some people living near the site worry extra stormwater will flood the area. Tom Lawson said his house has flooded once and he's had water within an inch of his home on several occasions.

"It's no fun when your house floods," he said. "No fun at all."

DeFoor assured residents the development's stormwater would flow away from the residential units across the street.

DeFoor plans to build two French-country-style buildings, one 25,200-square-foot unit and a slightly smaller 23,400-square-foot office. The buildings cannot be used for commercial businesses. DeFoor said he is pushing hard for medical tenants.

No businesses have signed leases for the space, but he expects to have one medical office commit if the project receives City Council approval.

Erlanger East and several other medical sites sit nearby. DeFoor called his space ideal because patients can access the offices without driving through the often busy, heavily commercial parts of Gunbarrel.

Contact Carey O'Neil at coneil@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6525. Follow him at twitter.com/careyoneil.