Hamilton County wants to amend Enterprise South Nature Park deed. It’s happened before
Staff file photo / Chris Taetsch stands near the property line, where Enterprise South Nature Park and his backyard meet. According to a proposed land swap deal by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, the southern end of Enterprise South Nature Park would be opened up to industrial development, impacting the neighborhoods in the region. Staff file photo / Chris Taetsch stands near the property line, where Enterprise South Nature Park and his backyard meet. According to a proposed land swap deal by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, the southern end of Enterprise South Nature Park would be opened up to industrial development, impacting the neighborhoods in the region.
By Siena Duncan 6 min read
Hamilton County officials want to carve land out of Enterprise South Nature Park through a land deed amendment. They’ve done it before, according to public records.
The county’s proposal, pushed by Mayor Weston Wamp, would isolate a 500-acre parcel of the southern end of the park for future industrial use. Announced in early October after the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on the proposal, the plans have roiled a group of environmentalists, historians and people who live in neighborhoods around the park, with a petition in opposition gaining over 12,000 signatures.
Haley Burton, spokesperson for Wamp, confirmed the county is seeking a deed amendment for the nature park. People in opposition have expressed confusion and concern, since the park deed includes language like “in perpetuity” and “forever” in reference to the land use being for recreation only.
But according to records obtained by the Times Free Press, the deed has been amended at least once before.
Staff file photo / Two headstones are seen in the abandoned historic graveyard tucked near Enterprise South Nature Park.Staff file photo / According to a proposed land swap deal by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, the Southern end of Enterprise South Nature Park would be opened up to industrial development, impacting the neighborhoods in the region.Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, center, announces a land swap plan Oct. 8, 2025, during a press conference in the Hamilton County Courthouse. Tennessee state Rep. Greg Vital, left, and Tennessee Sen. Bo Watson look on.Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / A map of Enterprise South is seen in the Hamilton County mayor’s office.
