Hawkins Ridge announcement
The Trust for Public Land is working on a deal to acquire 52 acres at Hawkins Ridge in St. Elmo and make it a public park, Rick Wood, director of the Chattanooga office, said Thursday.
Mr. Wood said the owners of the property who bought it at auction from Stein Construction have already placed it under a conservation easement with Atlantic Coast Conservatory. However, he said it is a private easement and does not allow public access.
Mr. Wood said, under TPL ownership, the property that hems in one side of historic St. Elmo would be available to the public for hiking, bird watching and other uses.
He said a third party appraiser is coming up with a fair price for the land.
Mr. Wood said, "It is very exciting that these 52 acres will be made available to the public. It is an amenity for the people of St. Elmo, but also for those in the rest of the city."
He added, "Creating parks close to home is the way to go."
He said he will work in concert with City Councilman Chris Anderson and other city officials, and it may eventually be transferred to the city as was Stringer's Ridge Park.
Mr. Wood said the hilltop tract that was long used as a construction borrow pit has beautiful views. He said it also has "trails that have been beaten into place by people who went up there."
Councilman Anderson called it "a huge victory for St. Elmo, my district and the people of Chattanooga who support conservation."
He also announced that the property owners, the Sunnyside Group, are donating a half acre near Old Mountain Road as a park. It is near the site on Pennsylvania Avenue where the group plans to build six single-family homes.
Mike Price, who represents the group, said the owners plan only one single-family home at the edge of Hawkins Ridge, and all the rest goes for the park.
The easement prevents any structures from being built at the property as well as any land disturbance. Hunting will not be allowed.