The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: dry hollow

Opposition still stands against Dry Hollow housing proposal on Knox commish agenda

KNOXVILLE — Compass reported that Knox County Commission voted 8-3 Monday night to approve a new housing development in South Knox County, “despite fierce opposition from surrounding residents.

“Local residents haven’t stopped a development, but they forced some changes,” Compass reported.

“But the conditions imposed by Commission limit the subdivision in the Dry Hollow area to 180 homes on the flattest, most developable part of the property — down from 255 that the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission had approved.”

Published in Earth
 

Dear Commissioner {last-name}:

We implore you to vote against the request to strip the Agricultural zoning from the core area of the historic Twin Springs Farm in Dry Hollow.
(11-B-21-SP & 11-F-21-RZ   Request of Thunder Mountain Properties, LLC for rezoning from A (Agricultural) ... Property located at 8802 Sevierville Pike and 0 Dry Hollow Road.)

This property is an integral part of a forgotten Knox County heritage area that has unique historical, cultural, economic and ecological values.

Published in Voices

Dry Hollow before the bulldozersDry Hollow before the bulldozers devastated it. This rural area is zoned agricultural except for the old commercial/light industrial cluster and the church area at right. The barn at the end of the church parking lot and the trees in the project area are already gone! The trees can grow back over time if Knox county commissioners make a wise decision.  Synthetic virtual oblique aerial view generated by Atelier N / Hellbender Press

More and much improved picture galleries

May 20: included new “Six on Your Side” report from WATE TV Channel 6 News

Massive residential development planned without regard for beautiful farmland, historic context and rich wildlife habitat — what’s at stake?

SOUTH KNOX COUNTY — When you drive out of Knoxville on Chapman Highway toward Seymour and Sevierville, you see little more than ugly strip development. That bleakness is interrupted only when passing through narrow gaps in the ridges, which tend to focus your view even more on the heavy traffic. No notable pleasant vista until just before the county boundary at Shooks Gap! If you look to your left, across the slope of Berry Highland South Cemetery, you get a brief glimpse of Dry Hollow.

That is the only view I remember from my first drive on Chapman Highway after moving to East Tennessee in 1985. Then, we did not yet have so much urban sprawl that one hardly gets a feeling of having left Knoxville before crossing into Sevier County and momentarily passing through a corner of Blount County.

Published in News

Dry Hollow obliqueVirtual oblique view of Dry Hollow. In the foreground Chapman Highway just past Highland South Cemetery, where the new East Simpson Road junction becomes Valgro Road after crossing Sevierville Pike, which also received a new junction last spring. The boundary of Thunder Mountain Properties is marked in yellow. At right, its full length coincides with the county border between Knox and Sevier. Illustration by Hellbender Press.

Controversial South Knox County rezoning heads to County Commission after approval of rezoning and sector plan amendments

Knox County Commission was set to decide Jan. 24 about a controversial South Knox County rezoning that would allow for the construction of 255 homes on previously agricultural land. But because of illness of the developer’s representative, the decision on both Thunder Mountain Properties, LLC requests have been deferred to a later meeting.

To decide on zoning issues the commission meets at 7 p.m. in the City-County Building in downtown Knoxville. Still on the agenda are three other cases concerning properties in Hardin Valley that are highly contested by many area residents and concerned Knox Countians. They need all the support you can give to them. Hellbender Press will continue updating this article.

Published in News