Catoosa denies large residential/commercial development
Wednesday January 17, 2007 10:32:51am
Catoosa County has pulled the reins back on a 153-unit development.
Commissioners voted 3-2 against a request by Harry Patel to rezone property on Mack Smith Road from R-1, residential to PUD, planned urban development.
According to Dennis Brown of the Catoosa County Planning and Zoning Office, the proposal was for 6.3 units per acre. That is below the maximum of eight allowed.
Patel, through his engineer, Autumn Friday with Mapp Engineering, presented plans for the development to commissioners, which was to include some residential and some commercial development.
“This will be private roads,” Friday said. “It’s going to be a gated community. They have provided buffers and exceeded standards. They have 60 foot rear setbacks to provide buffers with adjoining neighborhoods.”
Bobby Riddle, who lives near the proposed site, spoke against the development.
“The reason we have a problem for this is the traffic that we have,” he said. “If all those have two vehicles we are not going to be able to get in and out of the subdivision anymore.”
He advocated an impact study of the traffic.
“Our schools are so crowded we have nowhere to put them now,” he added.
Catoosa resident Cherise Miller told commissioner there should be a temporary moratorium on building in the county.
“I feel like with the extra load on the school system, the school system will come in and say we need you to vote in another SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) so we can build more schools,” she said. “We need industry, we don’t need more development.”
Commissioner Bobby Winters, who voted against, said he did not know how much more the road can stand with the big church being built and a large business proposed for the same area.
“Mack Smith Road is all to pieces,” he said.
Chairman Bill Clark, who also voted against, said the development is not in the best interest of the county.
Commissioner Dewayne Hill, another “no” vote, made no comment during or following the meeting about the vote.
Commissioners Ken Marks and Jim Emberson voted for approval.
Following the vote, developer Harry Patel and his project manager P.J. Darji met briefly with their engineer in the lobby of the Governmental Building.
‘They made up their minds before we said anything,” Darji said. “They wouldn’t even listen. They didn’t give us a chance to respond to those comments.”
Patel said it appears the commissioners did not look at anything provided that was requested.
“We complied with all the comments,” he said. “There is no legal reason they just denied ….and it’s not right.”
Darji said they have no authority over Mack Smith Road.
“That is beyond our control,” Darji said. “As individual property owners, we have been denied our rights to develop the property. It looks like the decision was made before we started.”
When asked, Mr. Patel did not say whether they would appeal the decision to Superior Court.
In other business Tuesday, Jan.16 at the Governmental Building the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to:
* Approve an amendment to the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Ordinance so that property owners may also be charged with violations along with contractors.
* Approve $500 support to the Ringgold flag display to purchase new flags.
* Approve a new contract with Ringgold Telephone Co. on previously approved video conferencing equipment with new change in price or agreement. The equipment will aid in providing hearings without moving prisoners from the Catoosa County Detention Center to the Judicial Building.
* Approve a request by Michael Schmitt to rezone property on Kinsey Street from R-1, residential, to C-1, commercial.
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Commissioners voted 3-2 against a request by Harry Patel to rezone property on Mack Smith Road from R-1, residential to PUD, planned urban development.
According to Dennis Brown of the Catoosa County Planning and Zoning Office, the proposal was for 6.3 units per acre. That is below the maximum of eight allowed.
Patel, through his engineer, Autumn Friday with Mapp Engineering, presented plans for the development to commissioners, which was to include some residential and some commercial development.
“This will be private roads,” Friday said. “It’s going to be a gated community. They have provided buffers and exceeded standards. They have 60 foot rear setbacks to provide buffers with adjoining neighborhoods.”
Bobby Riddle, who lives near the proposed site, spoke against the development.
“The reason we have a problem for this is the traffic that we have,” he said. “If all those have two vehicles we are not going to be able to get in and out of the subdivision anymore.”
He advocated an impact study of the traffic.
“Our schools are so crowded we have nowhere to put them now,” he added.
Catoosa resident Cherise Miller told commissioner there should be a temporary moratorium on building in the county.
“I feel like with the extra load on the school system, the school system will come in and say we need you to vote in another SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) so we can build more schools,” she said. “We need industry, we don’t need more development.”
Commissioner Bobby Winters, who voted against, said he did not know how much more the road can stand with the big church being built and a large business proposed for the same area.
“Mack Smith Road is all to pieces,” he said.
Chairman Bill Clark, who also voted against, said the development is not in the best interest of the county.
Commissioner Dewayne Hill, another “no” vote, made no comment during or following the meeting about the vote.
Commissioners Ken Marks and Jim Emberson voted for approval.
Following the vote, developer Harry Patel and his project manager P.J. Darji met briefly with their engineer in the lobby of the Governmental Building.
‘They made up their minds before we said anything,” Darji said. “They wouldn’t even listen. They didn’t give us a chance to respond to those comments.”
Patel said it appears the commissioners did not look at anything provided that was requested.
“We complied with all the comments,” he said. “There is no legal reason they just denied ….and it’s not right.”
Darji said they have no authority over Mack Smith Road.
“That is beyond our control,” Darji said. “As individual property owners, we have been denied our rights to develop the property. It looks like the decision was made before we started.”
When asked, Mr. Patel did not say whether they would appeal the decision to Superior Court.
In other business Tuesday, Jan.16 at the Governmental Building the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to:
* Approve an amendment to the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Ordinance so that property owners may also be charged with violations along with contractors.
* Approve $500 support to the Ringgold flag display to purchase new flags.
* Approve a new contract with Ringgold Telephone Co. on previously approved video conferencing equipment with new change in price or agreement. The equipment will aid in providing hearings without moving prisoners from the Catoosa County Detention Center to the Judicial Building.
* Approve a request by Michael Schmitt to rezone property on Kinsey Street from R-1, residential, to C-1, commercial.
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maggieComments: 1542 Joined: 01/08/2006 |
03/01/2007 07:40:45 PM
It is not that we don't want growth, but we have got to catch up with the explosive growth that we have already experienced. |
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catoosa Comments: 7 Joined: 07/23/2006 |
03/01/2007 06:43:20 PM
If we don't want growth, what DO we want? Shrinkage? Slumville? Ghost town?Construction is the strongest industry Catoosa has. Shutting it down is foolhardy. |
BigShiggyComments: 494 Joined: 01/19/2006 |
1/27/2007 10:35:44 AM
Wonder what Wal-mart pays in property taxes each year for the building and land they own? |
ringgoldoneComments: 615 Joined: 07/24/2006 |
1/27/2007 06:06:58 AM
But all of the sales tax dollars do stay here and help fund our infrastructure. |
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WalkingTall Comments: 14 Joined: 01/24/2007 |
1/26/2007 11:47:27 PM
ringoldone, you may wish to look at where revenue dollars (the large majority of the total dollars spent at Walmart) go. It isn't in the local bank.The local businesses that may actually spend money locally lose the revenue that the mega- chain attracts by bulk buying and cheap prices. |
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maggie Comments: 1542 Joined: 01/08/2006 |
1/18/2007 07:48:52 AM
You are so right, our county and city leaders in Ringgold have always lacked vision. They did not want the county to grow. Look how long it took to even get McDonalds here and then we only had a handful of fast-food restaurants for years, before we finally got Ruby Tuesday and Cracker Barrel. They also were and still are sitting on a gold mine in downtown Ringgold. It could have been a great tourist town years ago, if all the old turkeys would have allowed it. It was suggested by some citizens years ago, (in the 80's) that they should look into drawing more gift shops, art shops, antiques shops and advertise. We sit at the gateway to the south and most people pass us by or they get no further then right off the interstate. I also know that before Walmart ever built in FO, they wanted to build in Ringgold, but it was stopped by the powers that be. Now I am not so bothered by Walmart being where it is, after all it is still in Catoosa County, but it is the mind-set that has been in control of this county that sent them that way, as well as a lot of other businesses.It would have also been nice if they had put a plan in place before they allowed subdivisions to be built willy-nilly. Of course, when you have builders on the planning and zoning board, what do you expect???? Yes, we are all paying for their lack of vision, most especially our children. |
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ringgoldone Comments: 615 Joined: 07/24/2006 |
1/18/2007 05:48:45 AM
I understand the need for infrastructure, e.g., sewers. I would love to have them where we live. If each developer was responsible for providing sewer access to their subdivision and to the areas adjacent to it, then perhaps we could gain some ground.Bottom line - we are paying now for the lack of vision our sole commissioners had in the 1980's. Our county could have been readied for this growth, but we have had narrow minded leadership (like Clark) for far too long. Catoosa County needs to grow large enough so that Clark and his cronies cannot control it. Then, we need to attract every retailer we can (would love to see a Wal-Mart in Ringgold), so that we can keep our tax dollars at home and continue to attract more tax dollars from Tennessee. That is the only way we are going to win this battle. |
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maggie Comments: 1542 Joined: 01/08/2006 |
1/17/2007 08:48:31 PM
Ringgoldone, I see what you are saying, but quite frankly, I think it is time they slow down some of the growth until our infrastruture can catch up with it. Our county has grown at such a rate, that we are years behind on our schools, roads, and other services keeping up. Also, in order to handle what they have proposed, Mack Smith Road needs major improvements.The concept of what was proposed sounds like a good one, but until Mack Smith Road is improved, I think it needs to wait. |
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ringgoldone Comments: 615 Joined: 07/24/2006 |
1/17/2007 01:33:53 PM
Once again - a King Clark led decision. We might need industry, but it won't be on Mack Smith Road.We also need to understand that we are in a service industry area. The more residential growth we have, the more likely we are to attract Target and other such retailers, which equals more sales tax revenue. |
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Comments: 615
Joined: 07/24/2006
Remember that Clark and company want to keep Catoosa small so they can control it. They never have had and never will have any vision for the future of Catoosa County.
If we want more business and industry to locate here we will have to grow. Retail especially is looking at our size. If our county had a population of 100,000, we would be able to more easily attract the Targets, etc. That brings sales tax revenue, which helps us fund the infrastructure. And we have more than enough land to handle 100,000, and more than enough people that would love to locate here for the quality of life.