Code officials cite unauthorized tree-clearing on historic Raleigh site; developer could face fines
A developer could face fines of up to $50 a day for unauthorized tree-clearing on a property that encompasses the ruins of the historic Raleigh Inn, as well as environmentally sensitive springs and streams, local officials say.
Code-enforcement officials issued a citation Friday to a representative of landowner and developer Joseph Sy and a logging firm, officials with the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development said.
The case will be adjudicated in Environmental Court.
Josh Whitehead, planning director and administrator for OPD, said in an email that logging on the 20-acre site off James Road did not comply with a treeremoval plan approved by his office. Under the plan, a tree buffer was to be maintained along a stream at the site, he said, but logging was conducted within the buffer.
For most projects involving largescale clearing, the local tree ordinance requires developers to submit a notice of intent to remove trees and prepare a detailed removal plan.
On Friday, felled trees and tracks from heavy equipment could be seen along a steep ravine and near a stream at the site.
Sy, a Nevada-based businessman who plans to develop the acreage, said he wasn't aware of any violations.
“This is the first time I've heard of such a thing,” he said Friday.
Sy said he planned to contact the logging firm to which he sold the tract's timber.
The site, purchased by Sy in a tax sale, contains remnants of the Raleigh Inn, a hotel dating to the late-1800s, and springs that once attracted throngs of tourists and local visitors.
“It's one of the most prime historical sites left,” said Deborah Hackett, president of the Raleigh Springs Conservancy.
Environmentalists say the logging could pollute streams and the shallow aquifer from which springs flow.
Chuck Bryant, a member of environmental and preservation groups interested in protecting the site, said the steep slopes and erodible soils of the property make it “almost impossible to log without major environmental damage.”
“It's one of the most prime historical sites left.”