Councilman Chris Anderson addresses questions concerning the conservation of 52 hilltop acres on Hawkins Ridge.Sunnyside Properties, private owners of Hawkins Ridge, announced today that they have designated 52 acres of the landmark's hilltop property for conservation purposes.
"This massive site that goes.between Alton Park and St. Elmo is protected from development effectively immediately and permanently," said Councilman Chris Anderson during the announcement.
Prohibitions preclude the building of structures and roads, disturbances of plants or wildlife, animal hunting and pollution or drainage of water, said Anderson.
The next step in the conservation process involves transferring the land from the private owners to The Trust for Public Land.
Hiking trails will be considered for the preserved Hawkins Ridge property, said Rick Wood, Tennessee state director for the nonprofit conservation organization.
"I'm pretty satisfied with this," said Jeffrey Cross, a St. Elmo community leader who has been concerned the ridge would be developed once purchased by Sunnyside Properties at auction nearly two years ago."It may take it a little while to sink in, but this is what we were looking for."