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Despite an overall decrease in growth across the whole of Hamilton County, the Ooltewah/ Collegedale area is still holding its own as one of the epicenters of development, according to Yuen Lee of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.
“This is really the growing center of the entire Hamilton County,” she told members of the Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber Council Oct. 21, “right here in the Ooltewah/Collegedale area. The expected growth will really shift into this area and Bradley County.”
The area, including all of Ooltewah and Collegedale as well as large portions of the rest of East Hamilton and up to Bradley County, is expected to have 25 percent of the county’s population share by the year 2035 , compared to 19 percent in 2007.
“This will be the center of activity for the next 15, 20, maybe 30 years,” said Lee.
She pointed to the ongoing and increasing commercial development on Lee Highway near Interstate 75. Lee noted Bonny Oaks as another likely area for such future development.
“I’m sure people will want to live right close to the job (at Volkswagen),” she said in reference to a large portion of East Hamilton’s proximity to Enterprise South. “Everything with the population moving, I’m sure you will see business opportunities right here.”
Lee said she consulted heavily with Greenville, S.C., officials in her long-term planning for the impact of VW, using the South Carolina community’s data from the impact of BMW building a plant there.
She said corridor improvements, like the new interchange tying I-75 directly into Summit and Collegedale, opens large tracts of undeveloped land nearby, and the soon-to-be widened Apison Pike leads directly into an area poised for growth.
“Hotels and motels will be blooming here,” she said,
Lee also pointed to the possibility of a toll bridge connecting East Hamilton with Sequoyah and the northern part of Hamilton County as a possible growth spur.
“Despite what’s going on with the economy, I think this meeting ought to make us all walk out of there with big smiles on our faces,” said Scott Kornblum, president of the local Chamber Council. “Invest in Ooltewah/Collegedale now.”
Lee also encouraged members to invest in the area’s future by filling out the 2010 census questionnaire.
She added that many things are based on the findings which last for 10 years, including federal and state dollars.
“The only way we can really get a good picture for everyone here is from the census,” she said. “Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors. Encourage them to return the census questionnaire.”
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