St. Elmo Residents to Protest Hawkins Ridge Development at City County

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Residents of the historic St. Elmo neighborhood are moving ahead with plans to fight proposed development on Hawkins Ridge.

They say building homes instead of leaving a greenway there will create flooding problems.

Hawkins Ridge is a lush 55 acres that runs north and south near Tennessee Street. It was purchased by developers 2 years ago for 332-thousand dollars.

It runs from the cemetery on 40th street on the north almost to the state line.

The original stated goal was to build private homes on 65 lots.

Those homes would sell for 250-thousand to 350-thousand dollars.

The builder asked for an RTZ zoning.

Residents like Keith Riley are trying to keep that from happening.

KEITH RILEY, ST. ELMO RESIDENT “If they were to have been granted RTZ, there would have been nothing stopping them legally from putting at least 8, houses per acre and it could be 12, I’m not clear on that fact.”

The property was purchased by Green Tech Homes, who were represented at the Monday planning agency by engineer Mike Price.

MIKE PRICE, MAP ENGINEERS “If I can just get the RTZ I can put one single family home and off we go to the races.”

But the commission only approved an R-1 rating, which will permit the home construction, but require a trip to the variance board to meet set-back requirements.

St Elmo residents, meanwhile, say they will show up in force at city council in May .

HAPPY BAKER, ST. ELMO RESIDENT “Cause we don’t want to see anything built on those steep slopes of Hawkins Ridge where you have enormous water run off.”

REV. CAL BOROUGHS, ST. ELMO RESIDENT “Well its a big deal to us because ..still its an encroachment upon that area. So you build one property…and you’re concerned about the domino effect.”

Engineer Mike Price tells News 12 that plans made by developers can change, and that his client is o.k. with the R-1 zoning to build the single home on Hawkins Ridge.

St. Elmo resident Keith Riley says GreenTech Homes has, in the last two years, purchased most available lots in that community.