Rezoning And Approval Given For Sale Of Old East Ridge Pool Property

Another retail development is in work for East Ridge. At the council meeting Thursday night city owned property was rezoned and approval was given to sell it to make way for a new grocery store. The store, rumored to be a Wal Mart Neighborhood Market is planned for five and a half acres that was the old East Ridge pool property at 4150 Monroe St. and is now vacant.

Before the votes, Councilman Marc Gravitt said misinformation about the property has put the city in a bad light. The area had been owned and operated by the East Ridge Youth Foundation, not the city. East Ridge bought the property to prevent a bank foreclosure.  It was then discovered that the pool, tennis courts and parking lot were all in disrepair. The cost to make the renovations was prohibitive and it was uninsurable as is. By selling the land for the agreed upon $600,000, the city will get a significant return, he said. 

A unanimous vote of approval, will now allow the developer, Polestar Development, LLC to proceed with plans that have already received approval from the Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. Because the area is surrounded on three sides by residential property, the recommendation to approve by the RPA came with conditions which include limiting the development to only the grocery store and pharmacy. 

Other protections recommended for the nearby homes were to allow no amplification at the business in order to limit noise. Access to the store will be from Ringgold road and a pedestrian access should be created there as well. A TDOT traffic study has determined that no turn lane is needed at this time.

Light poles in the parking lot should be limited to only 20 feet tall and should be directed away from the residential areas to help prevent light pollution. A screening buffer was also a requirement and a site obscuring screen was recommended, more than merely the berm that has been planned. A privacy fence was also proposed to help regulate security.

A parking variance has already been approved for the development which requires no less than 4.1 parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of building. The final plan calls for the building to be 41,117 square feet with 165 parking spaces. There will be 40 foot buffers around the three sides of the building with houses, versus the 20 foot buffers written in the city’s codes. To shield the development, a six foot privacy fence will be built and a row of evergreen trees placed in front of that which will eventually be taller than the fence. In front of the evergreens, two rows of deciduous trees will be planted.

The plan calls for leveling the sloping lot by moving dirt from the high side which could create a problem with water run-off. Mr. Berry said the parking lot will be at the same elevation as the first two houses on East Ridge Avenue and where it begins to slop downward, a berm will be build around a detention pond.

The engineer said a detention pond is not designed to hold water for long periods of time. It is described as a low grassy area that is heavily landscaped in the middle with French drains underground that slowly drains the water into the city’s sewer system. It should be dry most of the time. This in no way should make the existing mosquito problem worse than it already is, the residents were told.

A unanimous vote Thursday night approved the settlement of a pending lawsuit the city has been involved in since 2010 when it was brought against Superior Creek Lodge for public nuisance. The city set various terms and conditions for proper maintenance of the motel. The owner has performed all the measures that were negotiated, spending $250,000-$350,000 to do so. Partially because of this, City Attorney Hal North recommended settling the suit believing that would influence the judge if it ever came to trial. The agreement is with the current owner and if it deteriorates or the business is sold, the city maintains the right to renew the lawsuit.

Amendments to the city charter that were approved by referendum in the Nov. 4 election were also unanimously adopted. And a new traffic signal was approved for the intersection of Ringgold Road and Slater Road/McDonald Road, which is essentially for access to Life Care which has made a significant investment in a new facility.

In order to fund the incentive package for the development around Bass Pro Shop and building the new fire station, authorization was given to issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $3,500,000.

The city accepted $4,000 from Hamilton County Commissioner Tim Boyd’s discretionary fund for the purpose of installing a 60 foot flag pole with a very large flag at Camp Jordan. The mayor also received money from the Tennessee Department of the Environment and Conservation for improvements at Camp Jordan. This is a matching grant for $100,000 that will be used to build two tennis courts, a full size competition basketball court, a walking trail and dog park as well as a pre-fabricated rest room.

Mayor Brent Lambert honored East Ridge Police Sergeant Scott Butcher for the positive reflection on the community and the police force he had made. He performed a random act of kindness, said the mayor, when he returned to give food to a woman and her dog after seeing she was down on her luck and the incident was captured on film by a passerby.

Awards from this year’s Christmas parade were given to winners at the council meeting. In the non-education category, first place went to Physicians surgery Center of Chattanooga, second place to Ginger Brown’s Academy of Performing Arts, and third to the Alhambra Shriners.

In the education category, first place and $300 was awarded to Cub Scout pack #3007. Second place went to Belvoir Christian Academy along with a $200 prize, and The East Ridge High School Jr. ROTC placed third and won a check for $100.

There was unfinished business, but a special meeting was called for next week to complete it all.