State of Walker County Address describes growth, plans for future

Walker County government / This photo taken in May shows the Idlerock subdivision at the foot of Lookout Mountain in Walker County. Several new subdivisions planned for Walker County were discussed in this week’s State of Walker County address.
Walker County government / This photo taken in May shows the Idlerock subdivision at the foot of Lookout Mountain in Walker County. Several new subdivisions planned for Walker County were discussed in this week’s State of Walker County address.

Housing growth, new developments and a plan to reduce debt were some of the highlights from the recent State of the County Address given by Walker County Board of Commissioners Chairman Shannon Whitfield.

The address was given at a Walker County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, as the chamber welcomed a new president -- Jenn Martin, who was born and raised in Walker County, with a professional background as an insurance broker.

Whitfield summed up his 20-minute presentation in a phone interview and spoke about some of Walker County's plans for the future.

"The vision and future of our county is very bright because we've got good, steady predictable growth," Whitfield said. "We have a strong local government, and we're on a pathway to eliminate all the debt which would make it unlimited what the possibilities could be in the future."

New developments include a 156-unit Rossville apartment complex which is scheduled to be ready for tenants in October of 2023; a 500-unit subdivison called Hawks Ridge that will begin construction late this year or early 2023; and a new senior living center called Morning Pointe at Happy Valley across from Rossville Middle School with a ground-breaking next month.

Hawks Ridge is a subdivision in the $250,000 to $450,000 price range, Whitfield said.

Its location in north Walker County is good for mid-income families because it's a 10-to-12 minute drive from downtown Chattanooga, served by EPB power and high-speed internet, is close to four schools and has convenient highway access, he said.

"Whitfield said the developer is, "within, from what I understand talking to him, 30 days of laying asphalt and starting to sell lots" for the first phase of the multi-phase development.

In general, Whitfield said the county has had steady housing growth over the past few years: about 125 to 150 new houses per year.

Some would say that's modest or slow growth, but Whitfield said that rate prevents too much strain on government services, school systems, utilities and road infrastructure "when you have that good, steady, predictable growth."

In 2021, Whitfield said Walker County issued 157 permits for new houses, with a $43 million valuation. In 2022 thorough August, 103 permits have been issued, with a $29 million valuation. For both years, the top locations for that housing was in LaFayette, Chickamauga and Rock Spring.

On Oct. 10, there will be a town hall at the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library to discuss how to sign up for broadband internet. Also at the town hall, the developers of the new McLemore resort will give updates on the Lookout Mountain resort expansion, including the addition of a second golf course.

"To have a cliff-edge mountain golf course that's completely walkable is very unique opportunity for our community," Whitfield said.

He said the new golf course is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024, at the same time the hotel and resort open.

Also added is a 245-room lodge with a conference center and day spa. Total employment for the resort on Lookout Mountain will be more than 300, he said.

Walker County's biggest private employer, Roper Corp., is also planning an expansion to its facility that manufactures General Electric appliances. Located in the community for decades, Whitfield said the company is investing $118 million and is in the process of increasing its labor force from 2,200 up to 2,600.

The county was competing for the investment with a facility in Mexico, but Whitfield said Gov. Brian Kemp stepped up and offered incentives to keep Roper in LaFayette.

Whitfield said the county government is also working to reduce debt. Ten of Georgia's 156 counties are debt-free, according to state officials, and Whitfield said Walker County is six years into its 12-year plan to join counties that have achieved that goal.

"We're ahead of our financial schedule, and in less than three years hope to be 100% debt free," Whitfield said.

To become debt-free, county leadership has committed to operate "efficiently and effectively" in a fiscally conservative approach, and not make bad financial decisions, Whitfield said.

"It's really pretty straightforward, there's really no secret sauce, it's just doing the right thing every day," he said.

County leadership has also worked to lessen the burden on property tax by growing other revenue sources like sales tax and permitting fees for construction, he said. Having a dedicated funding source for road repairs and paving, a special one-cent sales tax, has been helpful.

(READ MORE: Small property tax increase planned for new Walker County, Georgia, budget)

Martin, a resident of Chickamauga, said in a phone interview that she is in the middle of her second week in the chamber position. She said the was working with the Catoosa County chamber, and when the Walker County chamber started having more events, she got involved there too.

When the Walker chamber president position came open, Martin said applied and was hired.

Upcoming are several events including a women's luncheon Oct. 27 and a networking luncheon in December.

"We're trying to finish the year strong with some networking events," she said, "because going into 2023, we've got a big year coming up."

(READ MORE: Walker County African American Museum to host first art show)

Martin said she was excited about some of the new housing going into Walker County -- and the resort, as well. From his presentation, she said Whitfield's commitment to the county is evident.

"You can tell he truly loves Walker County and wants to see us grow and succeed," Martin said.

Walker County is large and has a lot of smaller communities in it, and Martin said she's looking forward to bringing all the communities together and working together.

"When we all work together, the county is going to be better and grow and benefit everyone," Martin said.

Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.

Upcoming Events