Blount County's ad hoc committee on Ridgetop and Hillside Regulations issued a report in August of 2011 that recommended
against making any substantive visually protective regulations for our sensitive viewsheds.  We strongly disagree 
and believe the welfare of our community depends upon protecting our trademark mountains.


These are not the views tourists come here for.

The Blount County Planning Commission is working on new regulations that would enable campgrounds and 
RV parks to be allowed by special exception on lots of 5 or more acres throughout many rural residential areas of 
the county.  We believe this would erode the quality of life, the housing values, and potentially the safety of neighboring 
properties.  

In this article, National Geographic Traveler calls Great Smoky Mountains a "A national
treasure surrounded by a bathtub ring of ugly, unplanned development..." We here at the Raven Society
believe Blount County can and should be a better steward of our key gateway.

We support Smart Growth.  Read a fact sheet describing the elements of Smart Growth here.

We are not in favor of the proposed Pellissippi Parkway Extension. See our analysis 
of the proposed Pellissippi Parkway Extension here.  See a map of the whole proposed Southern Loop here.

We support the adoption of the vast majority of recommendations presented in the $350,000 Hunter 
Interest Strategy, completed in 2006.  It describes Blount County's current Zoning Regulations as
“neither fish nor fowl, neither rural nor urban. Instead, it is a recipe for sprawl, which goes against 
the letter and spirit of the County's Policy Plan."  Click here to read our press release.

The Raven Society supports the passage of a private act to allow for collection of an Adequate Facilities 
Tax on development in Blount  County.  Click here to learn more.