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 first hearing date for a Hamilton County resident seeking a permit to operate an outdoor shooting range on a 184-acre parcel of land in the northwestern part of the county has been pushed back until April.
Justin Whaley is proposing a state-of-the art shooting park with firing lines for everything from short-range pistols to long-range rifles along Retro Hughes Road on Bakewell Mountain.
He was originally scheduled to go before the Regional Planning Agency March 14 to make his pitch, but is now on the docket for the agency’s April 11 meeting after the planning agency spotted two missing items in his permit application.
Fans and opponents of the proposal have been rallying supporters to attend the meeting.
Regional Planning Agency executive director John Bridger said Whaley needs to obtain signed approval from the current landowner, which the Hamilton County Property Assessor’s Office lists as Atlanta-based Walden Ridge LLC. He also needs to attach approval from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department for the proposed sanitary facilities that would be at the range.