Plans for a road extension that may cut through Enterprise South Nature Park are up in the air as the Hamilton County Mayor’s Office works on a proposal to redirect the project’s funds.
The Hilltop Drive project has been linked to broader concerns about the nature park as opponents over the past few months sought to stop County Mayor Weston Wamp’s proposal to open 500 acres of the park for industry.
The park is federally protected for recreation, and Wamp planned in secret for eight months to lift restrictions and allow development before the Chattanooga Times Free Press in October revealed the plan. Wamp on Tuesday announced the county’s intention to scrap the proposal.
However, county commissioners have said that the road extension plans — crafted during meetings for a regional planning blueprint — aren’t linked to the canceled development proposal. That means more information about the road extension plan is to come.