The entire south end of Walden’s Ridge, including the towns of Signal Mountain and Walden plus unincorporated portions of Hamilton and Sequatchie Counties, are at risk of being overwhelmed by unrestrained development. The inability to expand the three roads (Highway 127, the W Road, and Robert’s Mill Road) up the south end is a critical restraint.
I have considered many requests for rezoning, variances, PUDs and other land use plans after serving years on the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, the town of Signal Mountain Design Review Committee, and the town of Walden Board of Appeals. The recurring objection to most development relates to the impact on traffic resulting from community growth. Developers are quick to say that the newly generated taxes from their development will more than pay for needed improvements to infrastructure, and in many cases they are correct.
But Walden’s Ridge is different. There are only three roads that climb the 1,000 feet above the valley floor — Highway 127, the W Road, and Roberts Mill Road. In particular, the town of Signal Mountain is an island community with only one road, Highway 127, that can accommodate emergency vehicles, tractor trailers, moving vans, concrete trucks, and other vehicles with more than two axles.
The two other roads, W and Roberts Mill, are marginally adequate according to county traffic standards and only allow personal vehicles, which can navigate the steep grades, switchbacks, and other challenges. Furthermore, one of these three roads is often closed due to accidents, landslides, and repairs.
Walden’s Ridge has been a popular place to live and raise a family for decades. The opening of the Signal Mountain Middle High School in 2008 was the proverbial icing on the cake. As a result, the towns of Signal Mountain and Walden have become almost completely built-out with little land left for development. Walden passed a minimum of two-acre lot size for single family dwellings in the 1970s. This requirement should serve as a model for a rural-type mountaintop community with limited vehicular access, abundant natural vegetation, and the inability to economically install sanitary sewers.
Builders who construct houses and subdivisions outside of the Signal Mountain and Walden townships in Hamilton County have been mostly free to develop the land to maximize density and profits. Spangler Farm represents the most recent attempt of developers to increase residential density. However, resounding opposition has temporarily put the proposed development on hold. Community input and opinion are working so far to influence a more appropriate land use that reduces density and destruction of the natural environment. But traffic volume appears to be only a minor consideration for the Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.
Most of Walden’s Ridge can be considered an “edge,” or “bedroom community,” where density is less than in urban areas — which provide most of the amenities and services to support surrounding neighborhoods and towns. What makes the Ridge different from other growth areas is the limited access that cannot be improved without astronomical costs and environmental degradation associated with building another road up the mountain. Any consideration for smart growth or land planning on top of Walden’s Ridge has to consider the inherently limited access first and foremost. For example, widening I-75 to 16 lanes in Atlanta only compounded traffic problems.
The Sequatchie County side of Walden’s Ridge has only recently begun to develop. I encourage elected officials and land planners from both Hamilton and Sequatchie Counties to work together in addressing access and density concerns while respecting the quality of life and development that has already occurred in the Signal and Walden Townships. The two have both achieved different forms of responsible residential development that include above-average density, such as Westfield, Stonewood, and other condominiums and townhomes.
Walden Ridge’s quality of life is driven by a positive living experience, low crime, minimal pollution (sound and air), good public schools, parks, and playgrounds. However, these amenities are becoming overwhelmed due to unrestrained development. While these essential functions of community support can be expanded, the three roads up the mountain cannot. I urge county planning authorities to take a walk in McCoy Farm and Gardens and let that experience be their guide for future development on the mountaintop. As the county leaders and the land planners consider future growth atop Walden’s Ridge, they should use “caution” as a guiding principle.
Vance Travis