The developers of a commercial and residential development in Ooltewah are seeking to rezone a portion of the 140-acre project to build 60 attached, single-family villas.
The Village of Oakbrook, a decade-old development located along Hurricane Creek on Oakbrook Trail and East Brainerd Road on the west side and top of White Oak Mountain, is proposing to rezone about 12 acres to add more residential units.
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Information about the development is available online at www.TheVillageofOakbrook.com.
"We're excited about the future of this special community," said Duane Horton, president of Scenic Land Co., and a partner in the development. "This is an extension of our plan to build a multi-use development with housing, retail and restaurant development while preserving and protecting the natural beauty of this area."
The developers set aside nearly 100 acres for a conservation greenway that includes walking paths, wooded areas, an old mill site and even some historic Civil war encampment areas.
Duane HortonThe residential rezoning request will be heard Jan. 14 by the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission and will be voted on the City Council in February. Horton met with a half dozen area residents this week who asked questions about the development but didn't voice any opposition.
"I think Duane Horton and his partners have a trust relationship with the community, and with him living there they know he has a vested interest in making sure they don't do something that is going to have a negative impact on his property," said Hamilton County Commissioner Sabrina Turner-Smedley, an East Brainerd Realtor who attended a community meeting about the rezoning this week.
The developers built a sewer pump station and bridge across the creek when they first acquired the property in 2009 and have built several homes while working to protect Johnson's Brook, which has been deemed a "blue line" waterway by the Tennessee Land Development Services board.
Part of the Village at Oakbrook fronts East Brainerd Road is already zoned for commercial development. A TrueValue hardware store opened at 9814 East Brainerd Road in August and Horton said the development includes about 7 acres for more commercial development along East Brainerd Road.
The development is located along East Brainerd Road in Ooltewah just before reaching Parker's Gap and is one of only three passes through White Oak Mountain.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340.