Note: This story was updated Feb. 12 to correct the political party of Sen. Jeff Yarbro.
A group of North Hamilton County residents is concerned with the sale of land in Soddy-Daisy to investors from foreign countries, most of whom appear to have Chinese surnames.
Mike McElhone, a resident of Sale Creek in northern Hamilton County, said his curiosity was sparked when he saw about 30 real estate transactions listed in the Chattanooga Times Free Press in late December between Walton Tennessee and what appeared to be individuals with foreign surnames.
“There was so many, it was eye-catching, which made me look further into it,” McElhone said in a phone interview.
Walton Tennessee, a subsidiary of the real estate investment and land asset management company Walton Global, purchased a 187-acre parcel between Lovell Road and Dallas Hollow Road in Soddy-Daisy for about $3.3 million from the Mayfield Family Partnership in November 2022, according to the Hamilton County Property Assessor’s Office.