Jim Page has no idea what to do with his property.
Three-quarters of it is in Rossville. The rest is in Chattanooga. And that's a problem.
The large yellow, metal warehouse that runs the length of the property is a manufacturing facility in Georgia, but the Chattanooga end on East 51st Street is zoned residential.
"It isn't any good to us," says Page, owner of Lookout Recycling, which is on the property. "We don't need no residential property."
On Tuesday, the Chattanooga City Council will consider rezoning the property for manufacturing.
Two weeks ago, council members denied the rezoning request after nearby residents stood up and described what they called the incredible noise coming from the metal-recycling site.
But council members are reconsidering after Councilman Jack Benson said he found out that some opponents of the rezoning did not live in the area and that the noise comes from the Georgia side.
"It [the first vote] was an injustice," Benson said, asking for reconsideration. He said he's not sure how he or any other council member will vote.
Benson said he understands neighbors being upset at the noise, but all the manufacturing is going on in Georgia.
"We can't do anything about it," he said.
The council's refusal to rezone the land did not stop operations at Lookout Recycling, but Page said it has kept him from fully using his property.
Recycling plant
Page's business, Page Family Properties, bought the industrial site last year to use as a recycling center. A large crane sits in the middle of the property to help lift scrap metal into tractor-trailers.
Rossville Mayor Johnny Baker said the site was a welding shop years ago. In 2001, the city acquired the property for unpaid back taxes, sold it for $23,000 and gave Chattanooga $1,000 of that, he said.
In the years before Rossville took it over, however, the property was abandoned. Under Chattanooga zoning laws, property abandoned for more than 180 days reverts to residential zoning.
Baker said that since the recycling business started, he has heard no griping from residents.
"There have been zero complaints," he said.
Two weeks ago, Virginia Goss, who lives one street over from the plant on 50th Street, told Chattanooga council members she had to wear earplugs because of the noise. She complained about a machine she said looked like a tank and said the recycling company dropped cars from a height of 50 feet, crashing them onto the ground.
Larry Page, Jim Page's brother, said the family planned to install higher privacy fences around the property. The only thing that might be considered a tank would be the crane and it runs pretty quietly, he said.
Workers do not drop cars on the ground at all hours of the day and night, he said.
"If I drop a car, it's an accident. It's not on purpose," he said.
Larry Page said the family plans to use the Tennessee side of the property as a parking lot and maintenance area if they can get it rezoned.
Second chance
Councilman Manny Rico, who represents the area, said he's glad the council is taking a second look. He voted against the first rezoning, he said, because he realized the council would vote it down anyway.
City Attorney Mike McMahan advised the family then that they could take the case to Hamilton County Chancery Court.
Rico said rethinking the issue could save some taxpayer money.
"I think it's a good deal," he said. "[The family] was going to take it to Chancery Court and would probably win."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Chattanooga City Council will evaluate rezoning a business property on the Tennessee-Georgia state line after denying a manufacturing zoning request two weeks ago.
Click here to vote in our daily poll: Should Chattanooga rezone land for Lookout Recycling?