A government land purchase near Enterprise South Nature Park may be stymied next week after some Hamilton County officials have said they’re reluctant to spend taxpayer dollars on it.
The proposal, initiated by Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly’s administration, would have the city and Hamilton County split the $525,000 cost of a 19-acre parcel that’s landlocked by green space near the nature park and Interstate 75. The Chattanooga City Council already approved the purchase unanimously in March. But during a meeting in early April, several Hamilton County commissioners expressed uncertainty about approving their end of the agreement.
The land is zoned for industry. A chapter of Scouting America — formerly known as Boy Scouts of America — owns it, but due to a multibillion-dollar sexual abuse lawsuit settlement, the organization has filed for bankruptcy and is selling off parcels of land. Despite its zoning, the area has remained green space, and advocates for the park have said they want it rezoned to keep it that way once the county and city buy the land.
The land is surrounded by acreage zoned for “open space” — a designation meant to protect recreational areas like parks — and bounded by I-75 on its southern side. It’s south of Volkswagen Drive, in a section of green space that does not have park trails, and it isn’t accessible by paved roads.
A couple of commissioners said during the meeting that they wanted to ensure the intent was to rezone the area for parkland once it was purchased, while several others said they didn’t want to buy the land if that’s the case. The purchase will need the approval of the commissioners to go through.
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Commissioner Mike Chauncey, R-East Ridge, said during the April 15 meeting that he didn’t see the point of spending county money on the purchase if there wouldn’t be a future return on investment in the form of development on the land.
Since the parcel is landlocked by parkland, the county and the city would have to grant an easement through the green space surrounding it in order for anyone to access it.
“I just don’t see any good reason why we would spend half a million dollars on a piece of property we’re not going to do anything with,” Chauncey said.
Commissioner Lee Helton, R-East Brainerd, also said there may be no point in purchasing it to protect the land, since the area probably wouldn’t be developed without road access otherwise.
County Mayor Weston Wamp said during the meeting that city officials had approached the county with the idea of purchasing the land to control its destiny, since it would have to be sold off anyway because of the Scouting America bankruptcy.
Wamp has concerns about the price of the land if the intent is to reserve it for green space, he said, since in his view, that would likely mean it could be valued at less than it is now. He doesn’t think it’s in the best interest of the county to limit what it could be used for, he said.
“There was an implicit endorsement from our point of view — not a terribly passionate one, candidly — that the city and county should acquire this to control its destiny with maximum flexibility,” Wamp said.
The city could always purchase the land on its own, Wamp said.
When asked about the county officials’ discussion, Kelly spokesperson Stephanie Cepak said by email that the appraisal of the land and its purchasing price accounted for all possible uses.
“The city and county already jointly own all the surrounding property, and adding this property to that ownership could lead to a higher and better use when combined,” Cepak wrote. “Furthermore, if the city and county do not jointly own the property, taxpayers and residents will not have a voice in its future use.”
During the City Council discussion in March, a couple of council members said they were under the impression the Kelly administration wanted to buy the land for possible industrial opportunities.
Kevin Roig, Kelly’s chief of staff, said during the March meeting that the city had no plans for the parcel, and he didn’t want to outline anything specific because there had not been an agreed-upon use between the city and county.
Council member Jenni Berz of Brainerd Hills, who represents the area around the park, voted yes on the purchase because she wanted to preserve the land as green space, she wrote in a text message Wednesday.
“We have other viable options suited for industrial development which would allow for economic growth without sacrificing this asset,” Berz wrote.
Usage of the land in and around the nature park has come under the public’s scrutiny after vigorous pushback on a now-canceled proposal to carve out a portion of it for industry.
Wamp announced plans in October — after the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported about the plans — to reserve about 500 acres of the nature park for industry while preserving 1,300 acres of McDonald Farm in the northern part of the county for recreation, calling it a “deed restriction swap.” After a petition against the plans gained over 12,000 signatures and a nonprofit called Save Enterprise South Nature Park was formed, Wamp announced the proposal’s cancellation in January.
Melissa Ray, who cofounded the nonprofit last fall, said by phone that the land should be purchased and used as green space. It would complete a protected corridor of forests guarding the nature park trails and other recreational spaces, she said, creating a buffer between the park and the highway.
“We want to get the hole filled in of this doughnut, this little piece that they have the opportunity to purchase,” Ray said. “To split the cost with the city — that seems like they’re getting a pretty good deal, if someone’s offering to share the cost of it.”
During the April meeting, the commission voted to defer voting on the purchase to give county staff more time to find information about how easements on the property could work. The vote is set to take place Wednesday. Hamilton County Commission meetings start at 5 p.m. at the County Courthouse.
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Contact city and county reporter Siena Duncan at sduncan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.