![Dry Hollow oblique]()
Virtual 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.
Here’s the South Knox background per earlier reporting by Hellbender Press:
The Knox County Planning Commission on Dec. 9 approved rezoning a largely rural 160-acre tract in the Dry Hollow area of South Knox County off Sevierville Pike. The commission also agreed to amend the existing South County Sector Plan, which previously identified the property as rural, to accommodate more residential development.
Commissioners approved the measures after lengthy discussion, according to a reporter at the meeting, despite an outpouring of opposition to the proposal.
The commission met Dec. 9 in the main assembly hall of the City County Building in downtown Knoxville.
The rezoning was forwarded to Knox County Commission for action during its meeting on Jan. 24, 2022 but deferred to a later meeting.
The approved rezoning request from Thunder Mountain Properties LLC would allow construction of up to four dwelling units per acre in the proposed development area at 8802 Sevierville Pike and 0 Dry Hollow Rd, per commission documents.
The rezoning, which planning staff recommended proceed, stripped the predominantly rural current zoning designations in favor of planned residential development. Staff maintained in documents provided for commissioners that the area is trending largely suburban, and recent improvements to the southern end of Chapman Highway/U.S. 441 have made large residential developments more tenable in the face of traffic concerns.
A large number of residents of the area and the rest of the county are opposed to the amendments and rezoning proposal, citing a loss of rural and wild landscapes, effects on traffic and an incompatibility with original south sector growth policy plans, which designated the area as rural.
“I implore you to not continue with the Thunder Mountain subdivision. So many wildlife habitats, bat caves, and creeks will be devastated and gone with this subdivision. This subdivision will produce so much traffic and will be huge concern for safety and wellbeing of my family. This area development is not needed and will create over-crowded schools and horrendous traffic. Please do not destroy this beautiful habitat for a subdivision!” one commenter urged the Planning Commission on its public comments page.
“We are heartbroken that thousands of trees have been bulldozed and the wildlife habitat has been destroyed for the deer, turkeys and hawks. The streams and creeks have been terribly impacted be all of the tree debris and dirt being pushed into the these very sensitive waterways,” wrote another citizen.
“I have spoken to many of the folks who live near is property they want to rezone…..not a single person I have spoken with wants this beautiful rural area turned into hundreds of home and hundreds of cars on the already unsafe roads……People moved to the country for a reason and that was to get away from the congestion and neighbors on top of them.
“4 houses per acre is way to dense and tearing down all these trees is just awful…..Leaving Tree trash piles everywhere is very disrespectful to all of your neighbors!!! Clean up the mess and be a bit more concerned about what the community thinks of your housing development in their front yard
“I’m a big no to this plan…..I’m a big no to their driveway right in front of our driveway and I’m a big no to hundreds of cars on our little country road and our community is a big no as well!!!”
