I came across this website and also felt ill. I rarely get out there anymore due to tourist traffic. My great grandmother, Mary Trotter Walker, lived and died in Wears Valley. Mattox Cemetery holds the graves of many of the family.

(link...)

Not only will EVERYONE be deprived of financial value of their land if our viewshed is destroyed, but also the intrinsic and sentimental value of it. My people have been on their land for more than half a century, with a view that still makes one cry for sheer joy. Or at least it will for another 6 months or so, thanks to Otto Slater, allegedly Jim Berrong, and friends.

It makes me sick to look at their website ((link...)) and read: "A view that will never change." Meanwhile, destroying much of the natural and historic value in Look Rock and the Tower, and the whole view from Happy Valley and the Foothills Parkway, and who knows what you'll be able to see from the Maryville side.

I don't think anyone's land is worthless, just because it isn't allowed to develop warts. There are many fine examples around of how you can put in houses without denuding an area or destroying the ridgetop/views. And some areas, of a certain slope, are just NOT meant to be built on. Check out where they carved in those roads at "Overlook at Montvale." Those could slide right off the mountain one day. It has happened fairly regularly on the Foothills Parkway - I remember one time after an earthquake we had when I was a kid that a huge section just disappeared. Anyone else remember that?

DG, do you mean altitude? Like they shouldn't build above a certain altitude?

I was disagreeing with your height limit because I thought you meant height of the building. If you meant altitude/height up the side of the mountain, I could probably buy that.

There's this one ridiculous house on Chilhowee Mountain that you can see from virtually everywhere in Six Mile. I don't know if it is that it is built too high up the mountain, or that they ripped out all the trees so as not to obstruct their view, or that they needed to build farther back in their hollow, but it is quite a blight for the rest of the valley. There's a similar house you can see from behind Heritage High School. If someone could figure out how to prevent that, that would be good.

There are some places where whole neighborhoods are built fairly high up that you cannot see roads or rooftops from anywhere else. So it is definitely possible to develop without ruining the area for tourism or views.

I'm sure it would be key to require certain covenants be followed: only bulldoze in the footprint of the house, so the trees and natural shape of the ridge remain; no booger lights; encourage native landscape, etc.