Press Release from:  Greg Taylor

President, Valleybrook / Windbrook Homeowner’s Association

September 24, 2026

Statement from Greg Taylor Regarding Future Development of Valleybrook Golf & Country Club Property

HIXSON, Tenn. — Greg Taylor, President of the Valleybrook/Windbrook Homeowners Association and President of Friends of Hixson, asks Valleybrook Golf & Country Club ownership, Urban Story Ventures, the Valleybrook/Windbrook HOA, City of Chattanooga Officials, Hamilton County officials, and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission to ensure that any future development proposal involving portions of the golf course property is conducted through a transparent and orderly public process.

Any proposal should provide advance notice to affected residents and allow for full public review before substantial commitments are made. That review should include careful consideration of recorded covenants, traffic, stormwater, drainage, infrastructure capacity, public safety, neighborhood character, and long-term land use.

Residents should have timely access to the studies and professional analyses supporting any plan, as well as a meaningful opportunity to provide input before a rezoning request, site plan, purchase agreement, financing commitment, or other major development step makes the outcome difficult to change.

Valleybrook and Windbrook residents support good faith discussions about responsible development; however those discussions must begin early, include the community, and honor the legal and practical responsibilities associated with changes affecting an established residential neighborhood.

— Greg Taylor,  President, Valleybrook/Windbrook Homeowners Association;  President, Friends of Hixson

 

VALLEYBROOK / WINDBROOK DEVELOPMENT PETITION

Protect Valleybrook and Windbrook: A petition for transparency, resident input, and responsible planning regarding potential development at Valleybrook Golf & Country Club 

To: The Valleybrook/Windbrook Homeowners Association, Valleybrook Golf & Country Club Ownership, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, City of Chattanooga Officials, and Hamilton County Officials 

This petition asks Valleybrook Golf & Country Club ownership, Urban Story Ventures, the Valleybrook/Windbrook HOA, City of Chattanooga officials, Hamilton County officials, and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission to ensure that any future development proposal for portions of the golf course property is handled transparently, with advance notice to residents, full public review of technical impacts, respect for recorded covenants, and meaningful opportunity for community input before any plan is substantially finalized. 

We, the undersigned residents of the Valleybrook and Windbrook subdivisions and surrounding Hixson communities, are writing in response to two developments: a conceptual site plan that recently circulated showing potential residential development on portions of the Valleybrook Golf & Country Club property, and the August 18, 2026, letter from Club management addressing that plan. We appreciate the Club's acknowledgment that the drawing in circulation is not an official or final plan. 

At the same time, the Club has confirmed that ownership has been exploring other uses for underutilized areas of the property, including possible development; that the concept was shared with the City ahead of a meeting to explore initial construction considerations; and that Urban Story Ventures has been named in connection with these discussions. We are separately confirming the precise ownership entity of record through the Hamilton County Register of Deeds. 

We are not arguing that the Club or its owners can never explore additional uses of private property. Rather, any future development affecting this property must be evaluated openly, with full opportunity for resident input, full respect for recorded restrictive covenants, and full consideration of known environmental and infrastructure constraints, including the 100-year flood zone, the floodway, Roger's Branch and its required buffer, the anticipated stream crossing the site, and the existing sewer and cart-path infrastructure shown on the circulating concept plan. 

WHY WE ARE RAISING THESE CONCERNS NOW

We recognize that no subdivision development plan has been formally filed with Hamilton County or the Regional Planning Commission. We are raising these concerns now because residents should have a meaningful opportunity to understand and respond to any proposal before it reaches a formal application stage. 

• A concept plan showing specific development areas, lot layouts, and a proposed road network has already been drawn, shared with the City, and has circulated among residents. 

• Club management has confirmed, in writing, that development of underutilized areas of the property has been under active exploration for "the past couple of years." 

• Waiting until a formal application is filed to raise these concerns would put residents in the position of reacting to a completed proposal rather than helping shape it from the outset. 

The goal is to engage early and in good faith, before any proposal has been substantially shaped. 

 

KEY CONCERNS FOR REVIEW

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SITE CONSTRAINTS

The concept plan that circulated identifies a 100-year flood zone, a floodway, an anticipated stream running through or near several areas marked for potential development, and a 60-foot required buffer along Roger's Branch. Before any development plan advances, residents deserve clear answers on the following issues: 

• Full disclosure of floodplain, floodway, and wetland boundaries as they affect any proposed development area; 

• Confirmation that Roger's Branch and its buffer will be fully respected and not diminished through variance requests; 

• A hydrology and drainage analysis addressing how additional impervious surface would affect existing downstream properties, several of which already sit near these same drainage features; 

• Disclosure of how the "existing sewer line" and "existing cart path" referenced on the concept plan would be affected or relocated. 

INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRAFFIC

Any development connecting to Valleybrook Road, Hixson Pike, or the existing subdivision street network should be evaluated for: 

• Existing traffic volumes and capacity on Valleybrook Road and connecting streets; 

• Sight-distance and entrance design at any new connection point; 

• Emergency vehicle access; and 

• Cumulative effects when considered alongside other recent and ongoing development in the surrounding Hixson area. 

COMMUNITY CHARACTER AND COVENANT PROTECTIONS

Valleybrook and Windbrook are governed by restrictive covenants recorded in the Hamilton County Register's Office at Book 3437, Page 811. Residents purchased their homes in reliance on those covenants, and several provisions are directly relevant to any future development discussion: 

• Paragraph (d) — setback requirements governing how close structures may be placed to front, side, and rear lot lines; 

• Paragraph (k) — the requirement that construction plans, specifications, and plot plans be submitted for approval before construction begins; 

• Paragraph (r) — reserved utility easements along the rear and sides of lots; 

• Paragraph (w) — the prohibition on any lot being used as a right-of-way or access point to an adjacent tract without approval; 

• Paragraph (y) — the requirement that driveway cut-ins receive written approval before alteration of the curb. 

We ask that any future development proposal affecting this property be reviewed for consistency with these recorded covenants and that the HOA's governing documents and enforcement authority be fully respected throughout the planning process. 

REQUESTED COMMITMENTS AND REVIEW STEPS

We respectfully ask that: 

1. Valleybrook Golf & Country Club ownership and Urban Story Ventures commit to notifying the Valleybrook/Windbrook HOA directly and in advance of any future concept plan, master plan, or formal application affecting the property, so residents do not first learn of such plans through informal channels. 

2. Any future development concept be shared with the HOA and residents with adequate time for review and comment before submission to the City or County for any purpose, including preliminary or informal review meetings. 

3. Hamilton County and the Regional Planning Commission, if and when any formal application is filed, require public disclosure of the technical record, including grading and drainage plans, hydrology calculations, traffic information, and floodplain or floodway documentation. 

4. Any future proposal fully respect the recorded restrictive covenants governing Valleybrook and Windbrook, with ownership confirming in writing how those covenants will be addressed. 

5. Any future development avoid or minimize impact to the floodway, floodplain, and Roger's Branch buffer, and preserve meaningful natural buffers and open space consistent with the character of this community. 

6. The HOA be given a meaningful, ongoing seat at the table in any planning discussions, rather than being asked to respond only after a plan is substantially finalized. 

We value Valleybrook Golf & Country Club as a neighbor and community asset. We are not asking the Club or its ownership to forgo reasonable use of private property, and we appreciate the investment already made in the clubhouse and course. We are asking for transparency, advance notice, and a genuine role in shaping what happens on this land going forward, consistent with the covenants residents relied on when purchasing their homes and with the character of the community we have built together. 

Growth and change may be inevitable. But they should happen with this community's full knowledge and participation, not around it. 

PLEASE SIGN TO SUPPORT THIS PETITION!!!