Council approves purchase of 19.66‑acre Boy Scouts parcel; advocates urge rezoning to protect Enterprise South Nature Park

The City Council on March 24 approved a resolution authorizing a joint purchase with Hamilton County of a roughly 19.66‑acre tract owned by the Cherokee Area Council (Boy Scouts of America) adjacent to I‑75 and Volkswagen Drive. The purchase price cited in the motion was $525,000, with closing expenses not to exceed $5,000; the city’s share of the acquisition was described as one‑half of the total.

Kevin Rook, chief of staff for the mayor, described the administration’s approach as a buy‑and‑hold strategy: the city and county will own the parcel jointly and have no immediate plans for development. Rook told council the transaction’s purpose is to control the property’s future and “maintain it as open space” was a community preference, but he emphasized that the resolution as presented does not itself guarantee long‑term preservation or deed restrictions.

After the vote, members of the public urged further protections. Melissa Ray of Save Enterprise South Nature Park told council the parcel is currently in a natural state and is landlocked by permanently protected parkland, and she asked council to follow the regional planning commission’s recommendation and rezone the parcel to OS (open space) or adopt other protective measures. Ray also noted that deed restrictions on the surrounding parkland originate from a federal conveyance and are monitored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which she said makes the protection of adjacent parkland especially sensitive.

Planning staff and council members said they would confirm zoning, deed restrictions and any necessary joint approvals; several council members said acquiring the land with the county improves the chance that it can remain green rather than being sold to a private developer. The council approved the purchase by voice vote (motion passes; no roll‑call tally recorded in the public proceedings).

What happened in the meeting: the resolution authorizing the purchase was read (caption and parcel tax ID included in the agenda), a motion to approve was seconded and passed; community speakers later pressed for immediate post‑acquisition action to secure OS zoning or deed restrictions. The planning commission had previously recommended exploring OS rezoning for the parcel.

This article relies on statements made on the record at the March 24 council meeting and on public comments recorded in the council’s public‑comment period.