Bassam Issa, owner of the ANT Group, speaks with local residents after a community meeting to discuss his company’s commercial development at the intersection of Ooltewah-Ringgold and East Brainerd roads. (Staff photo by Myron Madden)After rezoning a property proposed for 240 apartments to instead house a commercial development at the community’s request two years ago, the developer of a 53-acre property on Ooltewah-Ringgold Road is now hoping to set half of the land aside for residential housing.
Since rezoning the property, local developer Bassam Issa, owner of the ANT Group, has been unable to generate enough commercial interest to get the development started, said Mike Price, who owns MAP Engineers and is working with Issa on the project.
“The area, while growing, still does not meet the population base that many of the major tenants like to see,” Price told local residents during a community meeting Sept. 13. “Eventually we’ll get there, but we’re not there at this moment.”
With development delayed, Issa decided to reduce the size of the commercial area and insert a subdivision toward the back of the property, which sits near the intersection with East Brainerd Road.
“That will sort of jump-start the residential and use that as a catalyst to get the commercial going,” Price explained.