Decision on a preliminary plat for new proposed development by Ocoee Mountain Club on Cookson Creek Road was delayed last Tuesday by the Polk County Planning Commission. Commissioners said they needed to check the county regulations for RV Parks and consider whether granting a variance on lot size for residential homes is warranted.

Ocoee Mountain Club’s Riverside development would include 135 residential lots and 155 lots for recreational vehicles on about 60 acres on Cookson Creek Road. Developer Paul Fetzner said his vision had a cottage theme and the smaller lots were sought after by people looking for second homes that did not require a lot of maintenance. Current subdivision regulations require lots to have a minimum of 13,000 square feet and minimum lot width of 75 feet. Several of the proposed homes would be on lots around 7500 square feet with a width of 50 feet.

Sharon Kepsel, who owns property adjacent to the proposed development, attended the meeting and expressed concern about the number of homes and RV’s that would be located next to her, as well as the potential traffic issues on an already busy Cookson Creek Rd. “How are another 300 cars going to get on and off Cookson Creek Road?” She asked. Kepsel said she wouldn’t have a problem with a development with lots of 5-10 acres, but did not want to see something that looked like their other development.

Planning Board member John Hoyt Pippenger expressed concern with granting a variance on the lot sizes without there being a logical reason. “There is no topographical reason to make them smaller,” Pippenger said. “What is the need for the variance other than to cram more in there?”

Fetzner said the smaller lot sizes were needed to create his concept. “It is a successful concept. My success is your success,” he said. Fetzner added that most counties allow developers to do smaller lot sizes if they are on a sewer system. He said they would connect the sewer line to the one that will be used for the Ocoee Mountain Club development on Sloans Gap Road, but that he wasn’t sure if they would come up Old Federal Road with it or down Cookson Creek Rd.

Daren Waters asked Pippenger what the problem was with 7500 sq. ft. lots. “What’s the reason not to?”

Pippenger said variances should be granted only where they are needed. “Your talking about general regulation changes as a whole, not a specific need for smaller lots,” Pippenger said.

Fetzner said if he could not get the variance he would consider doing the entire development as an RV park.

In other business:

•Final plat for Chanceytown Acres was presented but could not be approved without all the necessary signatures. Originally divided into a subdivision, the current owner wishes to combine the lots into one 50 acre tract, then cut a 5 acre piece from it in order to obtain a mortgage and build a home.

Commissioners debated whether the lot should be considered a subdivision. Planning Chairman Laura Crawford suggested the lot needed to build the home be cut into a flag lot and tied onto the existing utilities at Chanceytown Road in order to avoid having to be approved as a subdivision. Surveyor Lowell Bice said he did not know if the owner intended to build a road to the home. Bice said he did not think the owner wanted to do a flag lot because any future road would belong to that lot and the owner may want to use it later on.

•Final plat for Hideaway Falls was presented, but could not be approved without a signature from Hank Thompson with TDEC. Lowell Bice told commissioners the testing had been done but they were still waiting for a signature.