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Resident urges Rhea County to investigate proposed 54‑site RV park near historic cemetery
Summary
Linda Allen, a retired architect speaking for neighbors, told commissioners the Garrison Club Limited Partnership project could create traffic hazards on an 18‑ft road, risk sewage runoff into the Tennessee River because of wetland disturbance, and harm a nearby early‑1800s cemetery; the planning commission and county staff said no formal subdivision or zoning application has been filed.
Linda Allen, a retired registered architect who said she lives at 356 Sanitary Road, urged the Rhea County Commission to investigate a proposed development by Garrison Club Limited Partnership that she said would put a 54‑site, high‑density RV park at the corner of Garrison Road and Garrison Cemetery Road.
"This use is entirely unusual for this rural location," Allen said, noting she and other neighbors had reviewed permits and plans that indicate 54 RV sites. She told commissioners the main public‑safety concern is road width: "Garrison Road is about 18 ft wide with no shoulders, striping or lane. A standard school bus and a widebody RV need 24 ft to pass," she said, and she asked the county to request a formal traffic‑impact study.
Allen also raised environmental concerns, saying the site appears to have been disturbed within a natural wetland and asking for "rigorous oversight to prevent sewage runoff from 54 sites into the Tennessee River and the high‑quality management area." She urged the commission to protect nearby historical resources, citing a burial site she said dated to about 1806.
The planning commission chair, who spoke after Allen, said no developer had presented subdivision documents or a site plan to the planning commission. He explained that while Rhea County does not have zoning, subdivision regulations, septic permitting, and technical reviews (TEAC/TEK) establish checks that would be applied if and when a formal application is filed. He also said residents can request a traffic study through the building‑inspector's office and pointed callers to that process.
The commission accepted copies of Allen's materials and the chair indicated staff and planning officials would be the appropriate offices to follow up. Commissioners did not take formal action on the development at the meeting; the matter was presented during public comment and the planning commission chair asked neighbors to pursue formal studies or applications if they want regulatory review.
Members quoted in this article are identified from the meeting record: Linda Allen (resident and retired architect) and the planning commission chair (serving as planning commission chair).
