In a release Friday, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett announced his opposition to the currently-debated Hillside and Ridgetop Protection Plan.
It would restrict the number of homes placed on a property depending on the slope of the land. Knox County Commission is scheduled to vote on the restrictions on Monday.
Mayor Burchett released the following statement:
"The Hillside and Ridgetop Protection Plan lays the foundation for bad public policy, and it is my hope that Knox County Commission votes to reject it.
"I appreciate Commissioner Tony Norman's work on this plan, and I know it was developed with good intentions. However, it is in fact a roadmap for the significant erosion of the rights of thousands of Knox County property owners. In this difficult economy, government should not put in place new bureaucratic roadblocks that further restrict economic development. From both a philosophical and practical standpoint, I oppose this plan.
"In addition, few property owners know the exact slope of every hill on their property. The Metropolitan Planning Commission, however, has the full list of affected property owners, and I believe it is their responsibility to directly notify these Knox County taxpayers about this plan. On February 8, I sent a letter to MPC encouraging them to do just that. Unfortunately, they chose to ignore this advice. Citizens deserve a legitimate opportunity to voice their opinions of this plan.
"If Commission approves this plan Monday, tens of thousands of taxpayers will wake up Tuesday not knowing whether their property is affected. I hope this does not happen."