Developers Plan To Take Top Off Stringer's Ridge

[CMF Newsman]

Developers of a huge residential development said Monday night they plan to slice 20-30 feet off the top of Stringer's Ridge in prepping for the 504-unit project.

Craig Kronenberg, local architect on the project, said the top of the ridge would be bulldozed "to create a plateau for the development."

He said all the dirt from the cut would be kept on the project - with most of that hauled to the rear part that is in the city of Red Bank.

North Chattanooga residents almost filled the Chattanooga Theatre Centre to hear from developer Mike Cooke, of Greensboro, N.C., and partner Chris Anderson, of Charleston, S.C.

www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_119664.asp

[Deleted]

In a related note, Bob entices the removal of Stringer's top.



film at 11

[alphacelt]

The article says the units would start around $200K. So I guess the average chattanoogan wouldn't be the expected resident?

AC

[ScarlettP]

YODA! **SLAP!**

[Kordax]

What's the big deal in leveling off a hill or two for building purposes? Chattanooga has a long history of grading hills....

[tncoaster37]

Kordax, they are destroying something beautiful to put up something ugly. The typical Chattanoogan resident isn't going to be one of the people owning a condo there. Also there is the issue of double jurisdication, in that they have to deal with traffic jams, sewage system which isn't that great on both ends. We do need more green spaces not just patches of it in this city.

[Kordax]

Coaster, would you like to see Chattanooga citizens (with a vote) somehow granted a legal veto whenever anyone proposes building a new building on their own property?

[tncoaster37]

Kordax, I don't want to see this city turned into a urban srawl it has turned into because of out of town developers who don't care nothing for the beauty of this city. The city should have bought that property as a buffer zone. You also failed to understand that Red bank and the city of Chattanooga has jurisdication over that section of the ridge. You have the problems of the sewer system which will be impacted more, the traffic as well will be hell. Also if they plan on taking 20 to 30 feet off that ridge then it will put it on a even par as the stringer ridge tunnels. We do need more massive green spaces for animals to live and other things. The reason why we can't burn all year round is that we keep cutting down trees and replacing them with houses, condos and other man-made structures that don't give back to the world we live in except to take up space. We have to live in balance with nature and not try to control it to suit our means. I don't see how building condos is going to put more beauty in this city. In fact it will make it that much more uglier than it is now. We have houses built so close together that you can hear the next door neighbor having sex. Also in case of fire, they will go up like matchboxes. Kordax, We don't need any more high priced condos that will bring only people from out of state that has no vested interest in this community other than make a fast buck. They may say that they love the beauty of this area but they at heart wants to change it to the way they had it from where they came from. I live in the county and have found that development sprawl has destroyed what it means to live in the county with wide open spaces.

[whimdriven]

We have houses built so close together that you can hear the next door neighbor having sex.

Some people like that sort of thing.

[Kordax]

We don't need

Who decides who the "we" are? The Planning Commission?

City or County Councils?

One of the Mayors or both of them?

Whenever people mindlessly claim the existence of a collective "we" out there & that the "we" somehow has the authority, the judgement, the aesthetical sensibility, and the POWER to decide on a whim what private property owners can or cannot build (within existing zoning laws), someone doesn't have a clue that in America, owners of property have certain liberties that non-owners do not have. And if a municipality takes away the value of your property by restricting your rights to realize the property's full potential value, then that same government is liable for taking away value.....

[daworm]

If you don't want anything built up there, buy the property yourself. Or get those assholes at the nature conservancy to buy all the cheap ditch dweller land all around it so no one can build a road to it.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

The developer and "the man" will win, ruin the countryside, make a ton of money off out of state retirees, suck up to lookies wanting to sleep in town and not make the mountain commute, and you will loose.

You can allow this or stop it. I will eventually move back home so it is not "my" problem. It is your's. Do something about it, "ditch dwellers" or shut up and take it. Again.

They really shouldn't call you "ditch dwellers"; they should call you "Ben Dover".

Ike

[Longshot! [ Saint ]]

Who's 'winning' or losing here?

FUCK those 30 feet, STRIP that bitch! Let them sell over-priced housing so it can become de-valued, I can move in, and profit at a reasonable price, while MAKING ROOM FOR FAMILIES since we have a Mega-Site here!

YOU ARE ALL FOOLS!! WE RICH WILL TROMP YOUR SOULS!!

[Babs]

Lookout Mt., Signal Mt. Elder Mtn, Missionary Ridge, and now....ta da....Stringer's Ridge! I hope they leave Stuart Heights out of this! None of us have any money to speak of. ;D

[ScarlettP]

Have builders forgotten how to deal with our hills? I always thought what made Chattanooga (and similar cities) interesting was the beautiful way that homes were built to accommodate the natural slope of the land. As my mother-in-law excitedly told her flat land family "Their house is ONE story in the front and TWO stories in the back!" ... like it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. All the old neighborhoods are like this. Builders had to deal with the lay of the land...

Now... Just bring in the bulldozers and flatten everything out so we can use cookie cutter plans. *bleck* I'll happily stay over here where houses have more 'character'.

[Justin Thyme]

Of course the developer has a right to decide how to develop the property he owns but I'm still a little sad about this. I spent much of my youth riding a motorcycle around the trails on that section of Stringer's Ridge. I bought my first house at the base of that ridge on Ashmore Avenue. Even with the land fill close by there it was a pretty wooded area. I'm with Scarlett, I wish the developer would use some imagination in using the lay of the land rather than bulldozing it flat.

[gridbug]

I prefer to err on the side of personal liberty. If they buy the property then it is not mine to choose what to do with it. If people want to control what is done with the land then they can buy it themselves.

Or you could just pad the official's pockets with more than the developers have...

That said, I think this will be a hideous scar on the face of Chattanooga. No doubt they are developing there for the view. Unfortunately the view goes two ways. If you are not up on the ridge then you'll have to look at the result of the godawful mutilation of the ridge.

A less hamfisted approach would be nice, and may be more likely were it a local developer, but this guy will takes his money back to Greensboro and not have to look at the mess he creates. Need I mention that Greensboro lacks any terrain worth looking at? Maybe they are jealous.

[Kordax]

Need I mention that Greensboro lacks any terrain worth looking at?

Unless you're an educated person "looking" for a better job; in that case, the landscape in & around Greensboro has a much better set of 'views" than we can offer ....

[gridbug]

I did say "terrain". I largely grew up in Greensboro. The only thing you can do to help the look of the terrain there is build a building in front of it.

[Tookie]

That said, I think this will be a hideous scar on the face of Chattanooga.

I agree.

[Homebrew Dave]

"jurisdication"

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.


Dave

[Kordax]

Get ready for a new adverb soon to grace this dialogue:

Jurisdicationallywise

[Babs]

Does Chattanooga really need any more condos? Are the ones already on the Ridge rented or sold?

[TNBear]

1.) Is that property NOW zoned for dense multifamily residences?
2.) If not, why change the zoning so some pissant developer from out of town can make a few mil off Chattanooga and bank it in Aruba or somewhere and not pay a dime of taxes on it.
3.) Even if zoning allows for such use of the land, how many pieces of heavy equipment will have to burn before he slinks back to SC?

[Kordax]

Does Chattanooga really need any more condos?

Private citizens presumably have done their homework & have studied the housing market sufficiently to the point where they are willing to risk their assets, lines of credit, and cold hard cash on the side of new housing. People don't usually toss a few million dollars into the wind & hope for the best....

Now if this were a government project along the lines of the Chattanoogan, the "need" question wouldn't be asked, but if some upstart were to ask, it certainly wouldn't (and couldn't) be truthfully answered.....

Is that property NOW zoned for dense multifamily residences?

I believe they're scheduled to appear before zoning officials to formally request a zoning variance. The City, having granted similar variances throughout the past, would invite a lawsuit if it capriciously denies these developers the same considerations they've granted others.

...so some pissant developer from out of town can make a few mil off Chattanooga and bank it in Aruba or somewhere and not pay a dime of taxes on it.

Are you aware of a local ordinance requiring local developers to deposit their money in local banks? I'm not. What if an out of town developer maintained a local bank account but an in-town developer banked somewhere else? Would you like the out of town guy better in that case? And the tax consequences are governed by the location of the project & by federal income tax rules & regs -- short term, long term capital gains, ordinary income, corporate income -- there's no argument supporting different types of taxation based on someone's state of residency for a project based in Tennessee.

...how many pieces of heavy equipment will have to burn before he slinks back to SC?

Maybe after he reads your online felonious threats, he may notify authorities to request added security and an official investigation into these posted arson threats & attempts to intimidate....

[Longshot! [ Saint ]]

Ironically, I too have dreamed of burning the entire Ridge. I awoke exalted, and covered in urine rapidly growing cold as it sought every crevasse in my body on its downward journey. I immediately fell back asleep, grinning, although shivvering.

Be grateful the guy wants Condo's, is what I'm saying.

[Chattanooga Police]

The Regional Planning Agency is recommending approval for a controversial development on historic Stringer's Ridge with a number of restrictions, including limiting building heights to three stories.

The RPA recommendation also calls for additional access points to the 504-unit development in addition to the planned single entry near Nikki's Restaurant at Bell Avenue. The staff said there should be an entry from Red Bank on the other side of the ridge and also another entry from Chattanooga. But it said High Ridge Road should not be the latter entryway - unless that narrow, steep road is brought up to city standards.

The Planning Commission is set to discuss the case on Monday at 1 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

It is due to go to the City Council in February.

www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_119848.asp

[Babs]

The guy wants condoms?

[Deleted]

Small ones - for a lot of money.

[Warkitty]

This I do not like. I expect it will look like crap.