Developer and landowner ask Bradley County to clarify Robert Green Road status on county road list

A contested entry on Bradley County's official road list drew extended public comment Thursday as a realtor representing Ed and Jill Campbell asked the commission to clarify the county's record for Robert Green Road.

Dennis Botts, a realtor representing the Campbells, said the Campbells have farmed the property since 2010 and that a buyer researching the land will see Robert Green Road listed on the county road list as only "0.04 miles" (about 200 feet). Botts said the limited listing, and uncertainty about whether and when the county has maintained the road, could discourage buyers and reduce the value of the property. "If a potential buyer calls up road department ... and they find what I found, then they call up the road department," Botts said. "That is the answer people get."

County staff, including Bradley County Road Superintendent Tom Collins, said the county did not build many early roads and maintains only segments it has formally accepted. County Attorney Crystal Friberg explained the distinction between roads that appear on recorded plats and roads the county has formally taken in for maintenance. "We have this all over the county," Friberg said. "Plots were recorded before we had subdivision regs and they would show roads. Although the roads never got built, they never got accepted."

Commissioners and staff acknowledged the confusion in how road lengths are represented in budgets and on the road list. Tom Collins and other road officials said the county compiles an annual road list for the commission and that some historical records do not map neatly to current maintenance responsibility. One staff member suggested the discrepancy could have arisen when the county compiled a comprehensive list decades ago.

The committee did not change the road's status at the meeting. Officials said staff would research historical records and return with clearer documentation at the committee's October meeting. Friberg warned that if the county were asked to abandon a road segment, formal petition and survey work would be required; abandonment results in the county relinquishing maintenance responsibilities and quitting the property to adjoining owners.

Botts said the Campbells do not necessarily want a subdivision; they want clarity for current and potential buyers and to explore options that would let a future buyer develop parcels if desired. Staff and commissioners urged that any further step — including designating more footage of the road as county-maintained or pursuing subdivision approvals — would require building to county standards and potentially a developer-funded road upgrade.

The committee set no deadline for a final decision and described the next step as staff research and a report back in October.