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Did planners follow the new Plan Hamilton? and more letters to the editor

Staff photo by Abby White / Hamilton County Planning Commissioners Mike Chauncey, left, and Nathan Bird read a presentation given by a speaker at a meeting on September 8, 2025, where they passed the Plan Hamilton growth plan.
Staff photo by Abby White / Hamilton County Planning Commissioners Mike Chauncey, left, and Nathan Bird read a presentation given by a speaker at a meeting on September 8, 2025, where they passed the Plan Hamilton growth plan. Staff photo by Abby White / Hamilton County Planning Commissioners Mike Chauncey, left, and Nathan Bird read a presentation given by a speaker at a meeting on September 8, 2025, where they passed the Plan Hamilton growth plan.

By Community submissions 4 min read

Did the commission follow the new Plan Hamilton?

In September, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Planning Commission adopted Plan Hamilton, the new plan to guide development in the unincorporated county, along with a resolution from county Commissioner Lee Helton with changes requested by local home builders and Realtors associations.

Hundreds of hours of citizens’ work and input was completely disregarded when they adopted Plan Hamilton, “Developer’s Edition.” Now it appears they aren’t even following it.

At a November meeting, Barrier Properties/Barry Payne Development requested a change to add 6 acres for single-family housing to plans for Cambridge Square. A rezoning request was also submitted.

In the new plan, the property is under the resort & recreation place type, meant for resorts, golf courses, parks, etc. and allowing single-unit housing as a secondary use only if it’s integrated into a resort. Regional Planning Agency staff acknowledged the plan isn’t attached to a resort.