Airport Inn Conversion

Transforming the Airport Inn: From Community Problem to Community Asset

The Project

In October 2021, the City of Chattanooga used $2.785 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to purchase the dilapidated Airport Inn located at 7725 Lee Highway.

The vacant hotel was attracting crime and vagrants—a nuisance and safety hazard to the local community. Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly saw an opportunity to turn a community problem into a community asset by transforming the dilapidated building into 70 units of permanent supportive housing for Chattanoogans in need, at an affordable cost of less than $40,000 per room. The renovated building will include a new facade, green spaces, fencing and new efficiency apartment units

What is Permanent Supportive Housing?

Permanent supportive housing units exist today in every district of the city. The concept, which has been proven as a best practice nationwide, couples apartment units with around-the-clock support services for residents who are ready to transition out of homelessness. They are a proven model for helping residents recover, stabilize, and re-integrate into the community in a safe and controlled environment.

Permanent supportive housing is not a homeless shelter. It is permanent housing designed to help residents stay in a home — for good.

In Hamilton County alone, 97 percent of people who moved into permanent supportive housing over the last year are still housed.

Through a complete renovation of the building and site, the project will provide  approximately 75 units of permanent supportive housing, onsite amenities space, and  space for community partners and service providers.  

100% of the units are intended to be supported by Project Based Vouchers and leased  through Chattanooga's Coordinated Entry System. Woodbine Community Organization and  our property management partner, Emerald Housing Management, will collaborate with  local service providers to bring wrap-around supportive services to the site.  

The project will be primarily funded through up to $10,000,000 of tax-exempt bonds and Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and additionally supported through available affordable  housing grant funds. 

The project will incorporate many of the best practices in trauma-informed design (TID),  guided by industry-leading experts at Shopworks Architecture. TID centers dignity, hope,  and self-esteem; empowerment and personal control; safety, security, and privacy; peace  of mind; community and connection; and joy, beauty, and meaning. This will include  reorienting the ground floor unit entrances to a central corridor and main lobby for better  access control and safety, incorporating natural finishes and daylighting, and ensuring  resident control over their environment including light, temperature, and sound. The  project will also pursue sustainability and energy-efficiency measures including low-flow  plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, EnergyStar windows, and rooftop solar panels. Additionally,  we will create outdoor amenity spaces for residents and support better stormwater  management. Ultimately, the project will transform a blighted, abandoned property into a  community asset and permanent home for approximately 75 households in need of deeply  affordable and supportive housing. 

The Development Team consists of a partnership between Woodbine Community  Organization and Nelson Community Partners. Woodbine Community Organization has  decades of experience in developing, owning, managing, and providing services for  affordable housing developments. For this reason, WCO will own the General Partner in  the project. Nelson Community Partners will act as lead developer in project as well as  asset manager. In addition to its extensive community development and affordable  housing experience, NCP has partnered with the leading providers of permanent  supportive housing across Tennessee to develop over 150 units across three projects since 2020.

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