A number of years ago, there was an effort made to have land that lies just north of the Hunter Road and Hilltop Drive intersection in Ooltewah rezoned for apartments. There was strenuous opposition from the surrounding community with concerns for the amount of additional traffic that would be generated by this action, and the project was put on hold and nothing more had been done.
Now, some seven or eight years later, after traffic has tripled on Hunter Road at this intersection, the city of Chattanooga has wisely determined that it is now not a problem and the apartments are seemingly going to built.
When one looks at the number of new homes and apartments that are being built in the Ooltewah area, we are forced to ask….what is being done with the additional tax revenue? It is interesting to note that Hunter Road, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is pretty much as you would have found it in the beginning. To the credit of the state and county, it has been paved, but otherwise remains just as it was when only horses and wagons traversed there.
Alas, there is not sufficient monies available to widen or improve it, but interestingly enough there seems to be a great deal of interest in planning for an extension of Hilltop Drive all the way to Volkswagen Drive parallel to I-75 that will cost an estimated $20 million! This extension is like a bridge to nowhere. Who will benefit from this? My guess is that the owners of the 30-acre tract that this road will front are going to be the beneficiaries of this boondoggle!
That particular parcel of land has been for sale for a long time and has pretty limited access. The suggested reasoning for the extension was that it would alleviate traffic at the intersection, but when one looks at that claim seriously, it is without merit.
The elected officials that approve these projects should really consider who they represent. It is certainly not the community that elected them.
Steve Robinson