The Collegedale Board of Commissioners has voted unanimously to rezone land off Edgmon Road, approving a proposed development that will hold up to 500 homes despite opposition from some Collegedale residents.
Part of the 400-acre property, which was rezoned from agriculture to low-density single family, houses Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club. Hidden Hills is a family-run farmstead about three miles from the Southern Adventist University campus. Tara Hills, an adjunct professor who teaches Southern Adventist University's horsemanship class, said earlier this month via email that she and her husband started Hidden Hills in 2004 on a farm owned by her extended family, a place that has been her home since 1988.
"I've experienced all the emotional gamut associated with a major loss. It's been an emotional roller coaster ride," Hills said of her reaction to the development proposal. "I think it's a shame to doom another piece of land to housing. But it's not mine to make decisions about, and I can hardly blame any landowners, let alone my family, for making choices that best benefit them."
At the commission meeting, Collegedale Mayor Katie Lamb informed attendees they would be allotted 15 minutes to speak, and sounds of disagreement resounded. Lamb said she and the other commissioners had received many messages from concerned citizens and felt they were aware of how people felt.
During the public hearing, individuals echoed concerns shared with the planning commission at previous meetings about Empire Communities' proposed development. Concerns involved traffic, flooding, high lot densities, fire safety and the possibility that there are endangered species on the property. Some said they felt unheard by city leaders.
The first person to speak recounted statements made by Lamb during her mayoral campaign, one of which read, "'We don't want to just be a bedroom community of Chattanooga. We want to be unique.'"
After he finished, the audience clapped.
"Can we avoid any clapping (or) hollering. ... We want to have some decorum," Lamb said. "I will not hesitate to have the room cleared."
Public dissent
Two Southern Adventist University employees spoke as private citizens: Zach Gray, professor in the School of Visual Art and Design, and Eve Knight, administrative assistant for Academic Administration.
"I would like to highlight the unintended consequences of dismissing the concerns of a large number of citizens," Gray said. "I think this commission is made up of well-meaning individuals with a high degree of personal integrity and have the best interests of the city in mind. However, in this case, I have seen the concerns of the citizens dismissed. ... The commission has not made a compelling argument for how this development would help the city."
(READ MORE: Collegedale planning board considers rezoning of large farm for residential development)
Gray also expressed concerns about how the proposed land use has been calculated, a worry shared by Knight.
"I've been listening, and it seems like you guys haven't been," Knight said to the commissioners. "You have hundreds of people who voiced concerns, and there has been zero discussion on some things that you can change, like lowering the number of homes.
"That is way too many houses in way too small a space," she continued, pointing to the proposal's master use plan on a nearby screen. "I would like to know the reasons this commission has for completely ignoring the concerns."
Knight said she appreciated that Commissioner Debbie Baker drove to finished Empire developments to examine the homebuilder's quality of work. After the public hearing, Baker said Empire's projects were well-constructed based on her observations, and Vice Mayor Tim Johnson read positive reviews of Empire communicated to him by other city leaders.
Community petition
Austin Miller, a Cleveland resident who presented a petition against the planned development at the Sept. 12 Planning Commission meeting, brought his petition, consisting of 3,530 signatures, before the commissioners. He said 1,696 of those who signed live within a 45-minute driving radius of Hidden Hills.
"This is not a community in a tizzy because they are afraid of change," Miller said. "This is a well-informed and educated community looking to put a stop to the pillaging of this land. If you as a council cannot see the overwhelming consensus of your community, you are intentionally disregarding the wishes of your constituents."
Johnson addressed the petition by saying no direct addresses were provided, something he also questioned at the Sept. 12 planning commission meeting.
Mike Price, MAP Engineers owner and Empire's representative, spoke at the end of the public hearing, disputing public commenters' claims that the development would violate federal regulations and fire codes. He said the development plans were emailed to Collegedale's fire marshal and meet his requirements.
In response to residents' concerns about density, he said the development's density rests at 1.25 units per acre and corresponds with what he believes Collegedale wants to see. He continued to respond to multiple community concerns, including those about traffic, flooding and endangered species, stating that the developers have taken all those things into account and will continue to do so if relevant information is revealed in the future.
Lamb said the Chastain family, which owns the land to be rezoned, wishes to change the zoning, and the development will provide quality housing.
"We live in a changing world, and change cannot be totally avoided even though we would like that at times," Lamb said. "It may not go the way you want it. It may not go the way I want it. But I'm just asking for your understanding. We have tried. We have listened to you. We don't always get our way."
After the meeting, Price said he thought the commissioners made the right decision.
"Nobody likes change, and I understand that," he said. "We could all leave things in its nice pristine way that it currently is. Everybody would love to see that. But the reality is, at the end of the day, the property owners do want to sell it, so then you have to look at what's the best option if they are going to sell it."
After the vote, Miller and his girlfriend, Lydia Mitchell, who also voiced her concerns during the public hearing, spoke with the Southern Accent.
"I think it's a shame. It's unfortunate," Miller said. "I would like to commend (Commissioner Larry Hanson) personally because he said 'yes' reluctantly. I appreciate his honesty and understanding."
Miller said he got pushback from Johnson at previous meetings about his petition because a "few people" were not from Tennessee.
"His argument to the initial petition was, 'People just like to say no to things. ... I don't trust change.org,'" Miller said. "I gave him a copy of my petition today. He did not seem to pick it up or look at it."
Disappointed neighbors
Phyllis Smartt, who lives with her husband Charles on Edgmon Road, said during the public hearing that they built their home off Edgmon around 45 years ago and raised their two daughters there. Smartt described living in Collegedale as a dream come true. However, she said she believes the proposed development would decrease the couple's and their neighbors' property values.
"I can't even believe they considered approving a project like that that will allow you to put eight homes on one acre. ... It's ridiculous," Charles Smartt said. "And (Johnson) said he's never seen (the property) flood. Well, I couldn't even get home from work three or four times because (the road) was flooded so deep. ... I'm just, I'm shocked. ... It's just astounding to me that they would approve this."
During the meeting, Johnson said he's lived off Edgmon for 24 years and has never personally seen water run across the road, causing the audience to laugh. Lamb tapped her gavel and asked the room to quiet down or she would clear the room.
(READ MORE: Kids can learn to make maple syrup at Hidden Hills Farm)
Phyllis Smartt, standing beside her husband and daughter after the meeting, said she is not looking forward to seeing the development so near her home.
"We'll be looking at rooftops across the road, and then we'll turn right and be looking at houses like army barracks," she said. "You used to [be able to] come down Lee Highway and look over to the left there over the train tracks and see the prettiest country around anywhere, country that anybody else would love to have, you know -- just God's country. And they're going to ruin all that."
In an interview after the meeting, Lamb acknowledged the disappointment felt by the crowd but said she believes the conditions added by the developers after listening to community complaints at Planning Commission meetings improved the proposed development. She also said Empire Communities does quality work.
"To my knowledge, we've broken no regulations," Lamb said in response to concerns about fire and flooding safety made by residents during the meeting. "I don't believe the city engineer and planner would allow that."
This story was originally published in Southern Accent, the student newspaper of Southern Adventist University.
Staff File Photo by Dave Flessner / Collegedale has approved a rezoning request allowing up to 500 homes on property off Edgmon Road.