Send slopes ordinance back to drawing board
With climate change impacts more seriously degrading land and streams, we need to halt actions which provide profits to builders and developers that smack of irresponsibility.
It’s been more than two years since concerned citizens spoke out about the need for better control over development on steep slopes and floodplains. The city council then called for a Natural Resources Assessment from Regional Planning, knowing that Chattanooga needed new ordinances.
Now, finally, the council gets around to an ordinance for steep slopes – one so weak as to be ineffective at stopping erosion and landslides we are increasingly witnessing. Council members should send this one back to the drawing table. As written, builders do not have to deal with slope unless it’s like a mountain (33%). Yet erosion occurs locally at much lesser slants.
The Council will consider this at its March 30 meeting. Citizens should speak up once again to reject this proposal as is. Let’s prevent problems rather than have to fix them at taxpayer or homeowner expense.