Planning commission shoots down controversial Bakewell Mountain firing range plan

Justin Whaley, left, and his business partner Wade Batson are proposing a state-of-the-art firing range on Bakewell Mountain in north Hamilton County. "We are going to build a clubhouse with pro shop and make it like a park," Whaley said. "We'll have an outdoor pavilion for people to gather, like a family atmosphere," he said.
Justin Whaley, left, and his business partner Wade Batson are proposing a state-of-the-art firing range on Bakewell Mountain in north Hamilton County. "We are going to build a clubhouse with pro shop and make it like a park," Whaley said. "We'll have an outdoor pavilion for people to gather, like a family atmosphere," he said.
photo Justin Whaley walks away from the planning notice sign proposing a special permit outdoor shooting range on Bakewell Mountain in north Hamilton County. The 184-acres are located on Retro Hughes Road.

The bulls-eye for a controversial northwest Hamilton County firing range proposal got a little smaller Monday.

Dead Zero Shooting will have to work around a negative recommendation from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency to obtain the special permit it needs to operate a commercial gun range along Retro Hughes Road on Bakewell Mountain.

The planning commission voted Monday to issue a "deny" recommendation on the special permit case after more than an hour of civil but contentious case-making from both sides in a packed meeting.

Commissioners ultimately sided with a group of Bakewell Mountain landowners who have contested the range, saying it would bring undue hardship by creating noise, traffic and safety concerns.

"We're talking about the quality of life of those persons who live in that area," commission member Yusuf Hakeem said before making a motion to deny the permit. "Many of us, the largest investment we ever make is a home that we live in."

The Hamilton County Commission will take the planning commission's recommendation and make a final ruling on the special permit application next month.

White T-shirts with the Dead Zero logo dominated one side of the room, while black shirts with red letters reading "We are opposed!" were mixed in among the room's other half.

Retro Hughes Road landowners Derek and Ashley Clayton sat on the front row of the opposition side during the meeting. Derek Clayton presented the opposition's case with a slideshow detailing the concerns of several area landowners, many of whom stood behind him.

When Hakeem's motion to deny the proposal advanced to a vote, Ashley Clayton clasped her hands in front of her face. Just one commissioner voted against denying the permit. There was also one abstention.

"We feel a little bit justified that maybe they're seeing what we're seeing," Derek Clayton said outside the meeting room. "This case, from the top, has been patched together."

Dead Zero business partners Justin Whaley and Wade Batson declined comment after the recommendation but later issued a statement that they are "assessing our next steps and look forward to providing a range that the community can enjoy."

Their firing range proposal includes firing lines of up to 600 yards supported by state-of-the-art technology.

Whaley has said he came up with the idea for the range when he couldn't find anywhere near Chattanooga to practice long-range service rifle competition shooting. And he said the facility would add to the area's abundant recreation opportunities.

RPA staff had issued a deferral recommendation on the case ahead of Monday's meeting.

An hour of back and forth between the two sides over sound abatement techniques and the actual distances between the proposed firing lanes and area homes concluded with one commission member suggesting the board did not have the information needed to vote on the case.

Soon after, commission member Jason Farmer suggested that without a sound engineer report, it would be difficult to approve the permit.

"I know the staff recommendation is to defer," he said. "But to me, this would be a tough yes at this point."

Hakeem then moved to issue the denial recommendation.

The proposal was first scheduled to go before the planning agency on March 14, but the RPA spotted two missing items in the application and Dead Zero withdrew the application temporarily.

The firing range proposal drew criticism from Cumberland Trail advocates, who protested its location across the street from the trail. The RPA staff noted that any land-clearing activities for the range should be minimized because of its location near the trail and that "any development should respect the setting of the plateau and enhance the Cumberland Trail experience."

Randy Whorton, founder of nonprofit outdoor advocacy group Wild Trails, stated his opposition to the firing range proposal at Monday's meeting.

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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