Residents walk Enterprise South hills where Wamp plans industrial development

Bundled in flannels and coats, dozens gathered on a crisp December afternoon for a group hike down the southern slopes of Enterprise South Nature Park — an area that would be slated for industrial use, should Hamilton County officials’ plans come to fruition.

Organized by the nonprofit Save Enterprise South Nature Park, about 60 to 70 people found their way to the entrance of the Atlas Trail on Saturday. The group was varied, with conservationists, Ooltewah neighbors, historians and several local politicians walking side-by-side down the dirt trail, all chatting about the county’s proposal to carve the parkland out for industrial development.

For some, it was one of hundreds of times they’d been to the park. For others, it was their first. Several brought their dogs to get in their walk of the day.

The proposal, spearheaded by County Mayor Weston Wamp, would take a 500-acre parcel of the park once promised as recreational space in perpetuity and instead earmark it for industry. To gain federal approval of the land use change for the former military munitions site, Wamp is proposing to preserve 1,300 acres of a farm site in Sale Creek.

Residents walk Enterprise South hills where Wamp plans industrial development

Plans were announced in early October after the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on the potential swap. The idea has gotten significant pushback since then, with a petition in opposition breaching 12,000 signatures as of Saturday.