Frank Brock told the city council of Lookout Mountain, Ga. on Thursday that the option to purchase the property for the proposed Chapelbrow project expires in January 2010. He urged the council to approve a comprehensive plan and appropriate zoning before the end of December.

Mr. Brock, former president of Covenant College, said he had begun the process 18 months ago with a letter to the council requesting the city to consider a Planned Unit Development ordinance. The council then had a qualified attorney draft an ordinance. After months of study the Municipal Planning Commission unanimously recommended adopting the PUD ordinance. He said, “At that time, I thought that we were on track.”

After that, public meetings were held and the council, in response to the residents’ desires, chose to hire a land planner to draft a Comprehensive Plan before the PUD ordinance was voted on. The land planner recommends large (60,000 sq. ft.) tracks subdivided for four 15,000 sq. ft. home sites on the property Chapelbrow developers hoped to build high-density homes and an assisted living facility.

The draft Comprehensive Plan ignores Chapelbrow completely, Mr. Brock said.

“If you have any interest at all in providing more housing options for senior citizens, I urge you to pass a Comprehensive Plan and appropriate zoning that would allow Chapelbrow to apply for zoning,” he said.

“I have come to realize that Lookout Mountain is a great place to grow up and raise a family, but it is not a great place to grow old. Like all the empty nesters we know, Dottie and I want to live independently, and we do not want to be a burden on our children,” Mr. Brock said.

“I hope you know that I am not a member of the board or the administration of Covenant College. Furthermore, I am not a developer, an investor, or a property owner of Chapelbrow, nor is anyone in my family. My interest in Chapelbrow is a form of civic contribution on behalf of the many empty nesters who want options,” he said.

“As a concerned citizen, I remind you that perhaps the single greatest undeveloped asset on Lookout Mountain is approximately 600 acres of land within the city limits going out Lula Lake Rd. There are 9,000 acres of restricted-use land outside the city limits, but only 600 acres in the city,” Mr. Brock said.

“In those 600 acres,” he said, “there are six large tracts that allow a developer to preserve the natural beauty by doing a comprehensive plan. Planning a large tract all at one time is a good thing, for it enables the developer to provide amenities such as walking trails, green spaces, and outdoor spaces. However, in order to encourage this type of comprehensive planning, the City Council must adopt zoning such as a PUD or ‘Special Exception,’ or ‘Conditional Use’ zoning, all of which require comprehensive planning for the entire site.”

“To be economically viable, this type of development requires a certain amount of homes. Those wanting to use the heavy-handed, formulaic, regulatory approach by limiting in a PUD density and slopes in a mountainous terrain will run off any potential developers. Such approaches ignore market realities,” he said.

“There is a very limited market for large houses sparsely spread over a mountainside,” Mr. Brock said. “But, even if there were a market, this type of development is not the type of development that would provide the housing options that we empty nesters are looking for.”

“The discussions of the last 18 months have already taken a toll on the property values of the Howell, Lawrence, and other tracts in the 600 acres. If Chapelbrow is not encouraged to apply for zoning, it will be a long time before another developer shows interest in our mountain’s most valuable asset,” he said. “There will be few new homes built and no new amenities.”

“An age-targeted community will not burden Fairyland School, will cause the least traffic, will add new roads, will require the least services, and will provide a stable source of increased tax revenue for Lookout Mountain, Ga. With cooperation from Walker County and Chapelbrow, the city can have valuable additional sewer capacity for future growth. All at no cost to taxpayers,” Mr. Brock said.

“The type of housing Chapelbrow proposes will almost certainly raise the average price of homes in Lookout Mountain, Ga.,” Mr. Brock told the council, “because it is such an attractive development. Other mountain property values will improve as a result.”

“Putting high-density housing around the Town Center (as recommended in the draft Comprehensive Plan) will not attract empty nesters,” he said. “No one will want to build nice homes in the area, so it will almost certainly bring down the average price of homes in the city and add to the traffic at the busiest intersection on the mountain. TheTown Center site (for high-density homes) does not provide the range of types of homes or price points promised by the plan. It is a recipe for failure,” he said.

“I am a realist and I recognize that the council is not likely to pass a plan or approve zoning by the end of December. So, I feel that full disclosure requires that I inform you that we are investigating other sites outside the city limits. We do this in hopes of attracting a developer so that mountain residents will have options in their future,” Mr. Brock said.

“When the city council does finally approve its plan and passes appropriate zoning, I hope the plan will be economically viable. If, at that time, the council would entertain consideration from Chapelbrow, and if the Howell and Lawrence sites are still available, Chapelbrow may once again consider the current proposed site,” Mr. Brock said.

“Of course, those who have a different vision for Lookout Mountain will have an opportunity to buy and restrict the Howell and Lawrence sites, if they cannot kill development through zoning. Whatever happens, the entire mountain will bear the consequences of the council’s action,” he said.

Mayor Tom Gifford thanked Mr. Brock for his remarks and said no one should question Mr. Brock’s integrity or intent.

Mayor Gifford told the standing-room-only crowd the comprehensive plan process will continue and the new administration of Mayor-Elect Bill Glascock will pick it up starting in January. He thanked Councilman Sandy Gothard for his work as head of the Steering Committee.

Councilman Gothard said he wants the draft Comprehensive Plan to be finished in December. It is now in the hands of the Walker Collaborative. Once it is approved by the Steering Committee it will be presented to the public in another public hearing, he said.

Dana Wilbourn
dbwilbourn@yahoo.com