BELTON - Opponents of a proposed nudist community near Belton are trying to figure out a way to keep the 150 homes planned for the site from being built.
The Natura Christian Fellowship wants to put homes, townhouses and a campground on a nearly 104-acre site. Not all the community would be clothes-free, and the nudist areas will be enclosed and not be open to the public, said Bill Martin, an adviser to the fellowship.
But some in the area don't want any nudists. One idea is to stop the extension of Anderson County sewer and water lines to the area because it wouldn't be practical to use septic tanks for the 150 or so homes planned, County Council Vice Chairman Bill McAbbe told a group at Taylor Memorial Pentecostal Holiness Church.
Another idea is to change the zoning in the area. A group plans to collect signatures, but McAbbe called it a long shot.
Either way the issue will likely end up in court, County Council Chairman Larry Greer said.
He joked he had his own strategy. "We're going to import some yellow jackets and some poison ivy and such," Greer said.
While much of the dispute has turned on moral issues, McAbbe said the real fight is about economic development.
"We have to market ourselves," he said. "This cuts to the core of how Anderson County perceives itself. This could have negative effects on economic recruiting."
Natura Christian Fellowship has 36,000 members and follows the Quaker faith, Martin said.
It is also growing rapidly among Christians who want to live what they call the "naturalist" lifestyle.
"We were very upset with some naturist facilities. They had turned into sex facilities," Martin said. "That's not what we're about. We're very family oriented."
Some people don't think the group belongs in Anderson County.
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