Planning commission tables Shackleford Ridge preliminary plat after geotech, safety and school-capacity concerns

The Signal Mountain Planning Commission voted Thursday to table consideration of the Shackleford Ridge (Jasper Ridge) preliminary plat until its March 5 meeting after receiving new geotechnical and county-school materials and fielding extensive public concern.

Developers presented a revised 106‑lot conservation neighborhood and consultants described targeted subsurface testing near mapped and previously unmapped mine entrances. Derek, the lead geotechnical engineer with UES (formerly Geo Services), said his team used historical maps, TDEC documents and electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to locate two northeastern mine entrances and another unmapped feature found on a 1959 USGS map. "Once that is complete, we would like to do a few confirmation borings just to 100% verify that what we're seeing on the ERI and what we've seen on the historical review is accurate," Derek told the commission, and estimated drill results would take about two to three weeks.

Town staff and public safety officials said those follow-up tests are material to final lot layout and to the staff review. Fire Chief Larry Sloan warned that a subdivision of this size with a single entrance presents operational risk: "The primary concern... is the lack of an additional, entrance and exit into this subdivision," he said, urging either a feasible secondary access or other mitigations. Planning and public‑works staff said grading and stormwater designs meet town standards but remain subject to the final geotech report and to additional staff comments.

Education and capacity also shaped the hearing. Ben Doherty, a Hamilton County school board member, briefed the commission on a recently adopted county policy that tiers schools by capacity and creates an annual review process for attendance boundaries. Doherty framed the policy as a proactive tool "to avoid displacing current residents, families that have lived up here," and said the policy can lead to attendance‑boundary adjustments for "net‑new residential development." Commissioners and residents pressed how and when the county might apply the policy to the proposed development and whether interlocal guarantees for town residents would be possible.

Town Manager Matt Justice presented a planning‑level fiscal analysis estimating about $296,650 in annual property‑tax revenue at full buildout under current assumptions, but he cautioned that operational savings may be outpaced over time by capital‑replacement pressure for roads and stormwater infrastructure. Justice said public‑safety services may need additional equipment or staffing as the town grows.

Public comment ran more than an hour. Neighbors raised traffic‑safety concerns for runners and cyclists on Shackleford Ridge, questioned whether the traffic study accounted for nearby developments, requested high‑intensity soils mapping for phase 2, and urged full disclosure and testing around the TDEC abandoned‑mine findings. A resident who read TDEC notes into the record emphasized that the TDEC Abandoned Mine Lands unit is voluntary and does not evaluate safety for building over mines.

After hearing staff, consultant and public statements, several commissioners said they needed time to read the recently delivered geotechnical and TDEC documents and to receive staff follow‑ups on remaining technical points. The commission then approved a motion to table the item until its March 5 meeting; the motion passed with one recorded opposition from Commissioner Jamie Blanton.

The commission did not take a final vote on the preliminary plat; developers will return with outstanding geotechnical borings, any required plan edits and responses to staff comments. The item remains pending the March 5 hearing.