Please, clean up Ridge Road

chantalle@theheraldnewspapers.com

The appearance of some yards and homes in the Ridge Road subdivision was brought to the attention of the Sevierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday night at City Hall.
Longtime resident Shirley Moore voiced her concerns about rezoning the properties at the intersection of Ridge Road and Park Road. She is upset with her neighbors for not paying attention to the upkeep of their properties and the city for not making them take pride in where they live. She believes the new rezoning will bring more traffic to the already busy road.
“I wish we could legislate pride in where we live, and in the way their yards and houses look,” says Mayor Bryan Atchley. “But we can’t. I see places in Sevierville I wish we could clean up.”
“The junk cars make the neighborhood look like a junk yard,” says Moore.
“We have a weak junk car ordinance (in Sevierville),” says Doug Bishop, Sevierville City Administrator. “We are working hard to find ways to strengthen the ordinance.”
According to state law, the city can only fine an individual $50 when they refuse to remove a junk car.
“We know we have violations,” says Butch Stott, Building Official. “The area is on our hit list.”
According to Atchley, property owners pay tax on the use of the property. The Ridge Road area has been C-2 for many years. Changing it to C-3 will increase the price property owners will be able to get when they sell.
“Ridge Road is a short cut for a lot of people,” says Atchley. “Hopefully, the new Middle Creek (Veteran’s Blvd) will alleviate some of it.”
The Board also reported that they are trying to improve the neighborhood. The City recently constructed sidewalks for the lower end of the Ridge Road subdivision.
This was the third time this rezoning was in front of the Board. A public hearing was held and a third reading was passed to rezone properties at the intersection of Ridge Road and Park Road from C-2 (General Business) to C-3 (Neighborhood Commercial).