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Chattanooga: Group agrees to buy Stringer’s Ridge land

By: Cliff Hightower
(Contact)

By: Pam Sohn
(Contact)

Included in this article

Larry Zehnder

A nonprofit group whose goal is to conserve land and turn it into public greenways and open spaces has reached an agreement to buy 92 acres of land atop Stringer’s Ridge, officials said Friday.

Rick Wood, executive director of the Trust for Public Land, said the group plans to conserve the property and turn it into a public asset. But money still needs to be raised to buy the property, he said.

“This agreement gives us some time,” Mr. Wood said. “A very short time.”

Mr. Wood said he could not disclose how much the property could sell for.

The group plans to talk to the Chattanooga City Council’s Park and Recreation Committee Tuesday and ask for some money, Mr. Wood said. He would not disclose how much they plan to ask for.

City Parks and Recreation Administrator Larry Zehnder said public money will be needed to make the transaction possible.

“There’s been many people who have come forward to say they want to save this land,” Mr. Zehnder said. “It will probably require public and private money.”

The landowner, Jimmy Hudson, of Hudson Co., could not be reached for comment Friday.

The proposal comes after two out-of-town developers looked at building 500 condominiums and townhomes atop the ridge.

Those plans were dropped after the City Council would not vote to rezone the property to allow the development.

The condo plans on the ridge were projected to cover about 98 acres across the top of the ridge, cutting off the top.

Because Stringers Ridge largely is unspoiled, the condo proposal stirred controversy on several fronts.

Historical preservationists worry that Civil War history and cannon emplacements would be lost if the ridge land is not preserved. Scenery-conscious groups have voiced concern that the ridge provides valuable vista appeal.

Environmental regulators opposed the proposed development because they said it would disturb a layer of rock that produces radon gas that can cause air and water problems.

Councilwoman Linda Bennett, who represents the area, said Friday she was in full favor of trying to use public dollars to buy the land.

“There is enough public support to warrant matching city support to save the ridge,” she said.

Developers first wanted to construct buildings with six stories rising above ground. In January, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission limited the buildings to three stories above ground. The buildings were to have two below-ground parking levels, requiring the lowering of the ridge by 25 to 30 feet, plans stated.

But three months later, the Chattanooga City Council deferred measures for rezoning and a preliminary permit for development and voted to return the proposal to the planning commission.

In April, the out-of-state developers scrapped the plan, and Mr. Hudson said he did not know if he would try to develop the site himself.

Mr. Wood said Friday that a public planning process would occur if the land could be acquired. He said that would help shape what the Stringers Ridge property would become.

City Chief Financial Officer Daisy Madison said this week any public money used to help acquire the land probably will come out of the city’s general fund.

“I would imagine that would be a request,” she said. “But whether that would be honored remains to be seen.”

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