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When it comes to scenic views in Blount County, local residents are passionate about what they want preserved.
Recently, The Daily Times asked our readers for their thoughts on what scenic sights the Blount County Planning Commission should consider when drafting regulations concerning ridge-top and hillside development to protect scenic sections of the county.
While the diversity of suggested views echoed recent a comment by Planning Commissioner Tom Hodge — “You could say there is not a bad view in the county, there are (just) some better than others,” — there were some common themes.
The majority of responses singled out the spectacular views from East Lamar Alexander Parkway (U.S. 321) traveling toward Townsend as worth preserving, also paying special attention to views of Chilhowee Mountain and the Three Sisters area. The Daily Times has provided copies of the comments to the Planning Commission, which on Thursday voted to establish an ad hoc committee to begin drafting ridge-top and hillside regulations.
Planning Director John Lamb is using input from our readers, individual commissioners and several other sources to develop a draft map of the areas suggested for protection.
“It will be subject to refinement,” he said during a telephone interview on Friday.
The Planning Commission is taking a cue from a hillside regulation study commissioned recently by Sevier County that has ideas that can be applied locally.
According to the report: “To begin protecting these important resources, one must first identify specific publicly accessible places from which the views of these hillside and ridges are enjoyed. Such places normally include scenic highways, walking trails, scenic lookouts, parks, historic sites and buildings, and canoe and kayak routes.”
What direction the Planning Commission will choose, Lamb doesn’t know.
“There is a large motivation there to get something done,” he said. “What it will play out as, I’m not sure. We’ve gotten quite a bit of guidance from the Sevier County study, but it will be up to the Planning Commission to adopt (whatever regulations they develop) into their subdivision regulations directly or advise the full County Commission on that.”
A guiding principle of the Sevier County study, which can be found online at sevierlibrary.org/hillsides/, was that hillside development should not be completely prohibited. One of the most important recommendations is the principle that all development should be secondary to the surroundings.
Some responses were more in-depth than simply listing locations.
“The whole range of Chilhowee Mountain in Blount County and the higher mountains beyond should be protected from the visual blight of uncontrolled development, since they are visible from almost any point in Maryville (and even Alcoa), and in the county in between,” wrote Mrs. Charles Hultquist. “There are, of course, other areas that need protecting, but I believe this is the most widespread and important in maintaining the very special quality of life that we have here in our cities and county.”
“As you drive into Blount County on Alcoa Highway, just past the airport, the road splits with one road heading south toward Atlanta and the other heading east toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” wrote Chris Rigell of Maryville. “On a clear day from this vantage point you can see most of the Chilhowee Mountain Ridge with the Smoky Mountains behind it. This view is priceless and must be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
“The views from Look Rock Tower must also be protected. This includes the view toward the valley as well as toward the Smoky Mountains. From the top of Look Rock, you can see the Black Sulfur Knobs making the small bumpy ridge between Chilhowee Mountain and the city of Maryville. These knobs are relatively undeveloped and provide a beautiful natural foreground to the view across the Tennessee Valley to the Cumberland escarpment.
“In particular, the Blount County Smoky Mountain corridor strongly impacts the feelings of nature as one drives toward, and also away from, the Townsend entrance to the park,” wrote Dick Randolph.