Ooltewah Development Approved Amid Opposition
The layout for the proposed subdivision and commerical spaces on Ooltewah-Georgetown Road. (From: Regional Planning Agency)
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (WDEF)- More development is soon coming to Ooltewah.
However, some nearby residents are not happy with a decision today by the Hamilton County Commission.
The potential increase in traffic in an already busy Ooltewah-Georgetown Road is the center of concern for Ooltewah residents opposed to a new residential and commercial development approved Wednesday by the Hamilton County Commission.
One resident, Kim Helton, said, “We have the same two lane roads when the Wolftever Plan was made.”
Another resident, Jan Dintzer, said, “If you’re going to put these commercial centers within reach of these subdivisions to help deter the traffic, you need to address the road situations and take that into consideration with appropriate traffic counts to justify building them in there.”
By an 8 to 3 vote, the Commission approved plans for a new subdivision and commercial space along Ooltewah-Georgetown Road just north of the roundabout intersection with Mountain View Road.
This approved subdivision will have a maximum of 229 residential units with 62 townhomes.
Additionally, four acres of commercial space was approved which developer Turner Homes said would become three 10,000 square foot buildings similar to Cambridge Square.
A developer told the Commission, said, “If you’ve been to Cambridge Square, you’ll see the architecture, you’ll see the outdoor amenity space area you have, and it’s a very attractive area, and when I say “Cambridge Square Lite” that’s what I mean.”
Dintzer said, “Cambridge Square has two roads that flank it. One is Old Lee Highway and one is Ooltewah-Georgetown Road. The Ooltewah-Georgetown Road is a nightmare to get in and out of.”
This development, which is currently an open field , would be the latest in the series of developments in the Ooltewah area, including a new neighborhood right across the street.
Plans call for a turn lane to be added to Ooltewah-Georgetown Road.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said there would be more discussion on how to improve Ooltewah’s roads by the county’s Rural Roads Working Group in January.
Mayor Wamp said, “As we speak we are placing the first driver feedback signs that Chief Roddy and I’ve worked on, so that some of these roads that we have confirmed through further research, there are very high levels of traffic incidents.”
There is no public timetable for the project.
