$600 Million Pigeon Forge Project Stalled

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has halted the forward momentum of two of the cities most expansive and costly new developments. Because the two developers of the old Jake Thomas farm failed to obtain wetlands permits before excavating began, the project came to a fast stop. One of the developers, Mike McCall with Maryland based Strategic Leisure Inc., said they are in the process of obtaining a permit and “doing everything the Corps is asking us to do.”

Strategic Leisure and Riverwalk Park, LLC, a Florida-based group of investors had introduced the $600M project last month at a catered, groundbreaking ceremony attended by business people from all the surrounding counties.

Land prep work had been started on Main Street Marketplace, a “lifestyle center” south of Teaster Lane and north of the river, but no buildings had been started when the Corps of Engineers ordered a halt.

“There are two acres of wetlands on the site and the contractor inadvertently damaged a portion of those 2 acres,” McCall said. “We’ve got some respected environmental people working with us and they are getting us back on the straight and narrow. It shouldn’t take too long,” he continued.

But wetland issues aren’t the first deterrent to stop development here in the land of the Smoky Mountains and the Native American Indians. “Several prehistoric Indian sites on the property” show evidence of Indian graves, said Tennessee state archaeologist, Nick Fielder. And if developers don’t already know how seriously the state and the Native American Indians take these burial grounds, they will find out shortly.

But I am not worried and I hope that instead of being depressed over the stoppage on the work site, the developers are excited about adding another tier of experience to their already impressive plans. As a constant visitor to the area I sure look on this news with wonder and excitement. History is one of the greatest attractions in the world and I want this area’s history to be treated with the respect that the sleepy little burg of Townsend handled their surprise history a couple of years ago.

In the midst of widening the road through Townsend, Indian burial grounds and significant relics were found and a stop was called to the five-lane highway that state road-crews were building. Luckily for all of us, the town embraced the history that was being uncovered, and today the Heritage Center is going up in town as a direct result of the wonderful findings that were uncovered.

Even better is the fact that the McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee is helping to identify the Indian pieces and to loan intact pieces from the museum’s collections to the new center to sit alongside shards that were found in the digs. The new Heritage Center will encompass both the Native American culture and the pioneer life in an important, historically significant way with exhibits and classes offered to area school children and adults.

The more we embrace our history, the richer experiences we can offer visitors to all the towns in and outside the Smokies, and I can’t wait to see how the Pigeon Forge developers respond to the wetlands issue and the Indian digs.

The Pigeon Forge Village, Riverwalk and the Belle Island projects are all class acts and I can’t think of a better way to improve them than by overlaying history and diverse cultures with the inherent attractions of entertainment, good dining and a real respect for our environment. We feel sure that this project will also finish well ahead of its vision.....bringing even more depth to an already well-thought-out plan.