The so-called Plan Hamilton isn’t a compromise - it’s a blueprint for overdevelopment at the expense of the people who already live here. We don’t need new density rules. We need a full stop on building in unincorporated Hamilton County until the basics are fixed.
Our infrastructure is crumbling under the weight of unchecked growth. Roads are already overloaded. Schools are at capacity. Stormwater systems can’t keep up. And perhaps most alarming - our public safety resources are stretched to the breaking point.
Fire departments in unincorporated Hamilton County are already struggling to keep enough trained personnel on their rosters. These are men and women volunteering their time, often responding in outdated trucks with limited funding, because the county can’t or won’t provide what’s needed. More houses mean more calls - and without the staffing, equipment, or funding to handle them, we’re setting our communities up for disaster.
There’s also the issue of trust. Certain commissioners should abstain from voting on any growth plan due to professional reasons that could directly or indirectly benefit them personally. Whether or not it meets the legal definition of a conflict of interest, the appearance of self-interest is obvious. Public trust demands they step aside from this vote.
It’s time the County Commission listens to the will of the people - not real estate agents and developers.
Jason Kirk
Unincorporated Bakewell Tennessee.