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Proposal for 291 new Ooltewah homes deferred amid opposition

Staff Photo by Mike Pare / A rezoning sign sits on a 102-acre vacant tract at 8209 Bell Mill Road. The property sits across the road from the Bell Mill Mansion, a 32-acre estate that has hosted weddings and other events and was up for auction earlier this year.
Staff Photo by Mike Pare / A rezoning sign sits on a 102-acre vacant tract at 8209 Bell Mill Road. The property sits across the road from the Bell Mill Mansion, a 32-acre estate that has hosted weddings and other events and was up for auction earlier this year. Staff Photo by Mike Pare / A rezoning sign sits on a 102-acre vacant tract at 8209 Bell Mill Road. The property sits across the road from the Bell Mill Mansion, a 32-acre estate that has hosted weddings and other events and was up for auction earlier this year.

By Mike Pare 3 min read


A proposal for several hundred new homes in Ooltewah drew the ire of nearby residents at a meeting Monday, with one comparing the area to California amid worries of more traffic and overcrowded schools.

But a representative of the development group said growth in Hamilton County isn’t going away and more is coming.

“There are eight residents moving into the county every day,” said Mike Price of MAP Engineers at a meeting of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.

Price, after hearing from residents and a no recommendation from the panel’s staff, asked and received a 30-day deferral to the request to rezone 102 acres of vacant land at 8209 Bell Mill Road from agricultural to residential.