Soddy-Daisy subdivision plan approved despite opposition
SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) – Residents in Soddy-Daisy are concerned about a proposed housing development in their neighborhood.
Continued growth across Hamilton County continues to be an ongoing challenge and debate.
For those residents in Soddy-Daisy, they believe that debate is a matter of life and death.
Resident Derrick Wilson said, “They are more concerned about their taxes than protecting people’s lives.”
Opponents to the proposed subdivision say despite modifications, the plan to build a subdivision with potentially 550 new homes in their backyard is of huge concern.
Initially the unnamed developers, who are being represented by Stone Creek Consulting of Dunlap, wanted to build 780 homes on the property but agreed to reduce their numbers.
Allen Jones, who owns Stone Creek, said, “From an overall density you’re only looking at extra unit per acre, but with the size of the property at 240 acres, three units per acre, you’re looking at 700 lots which was too much for them to stomach.”
One of the concerns about this project about the existing road infrastructure in the area.
Green Pond Road and Hixson Pike are both only two-lane roads, and the concern is, can it handle the hundreds of new cars that would come with this subdivision?
Another resident, Brandon Bates said, “You have two entrances, one on each side of Derrick. One is coming out of a blind curve, the other is coming off the top of a hill, and I mean people are going to die.”
Another concern raised is ongoing flooding issues in the area, with concerns the loss of land to development with only make things worse.
Wilson said, “We have people in our community all along Green Pond that deal with flooding nearly every rain, nearly every good rain we have.”
The Regional Planning Agency approved the plan with modifications, but residents say they’re not done yet fighting this development.
Wilson said, “Our neighbors will show up again and express our concerns at the County Commission and hopefully we’ll get better results.”
The plan will go in front of the Hamilton County Commission in January.
County Commissioner Gene-O Shipley of District 1 who represents the district says he opposes the plan.
