Pigeon Forge buzzing despite bad economy

5/14/2012

While the U.S. economy remains wobbly in the face of anemic job growth, construction activity in Pigeon Forge continues to move ahead. One example is the former Belle Island property, which was purchased for $10 million last year by a group that includes Knoxville developers Darby Campbell and Bob McManus. The new owners are planning to complete the site as a retail and entertainment complex, whose centerpiece will be a 200-foot skywheel.

During a visit to the site on Monday, Todd Redd, the vice president of development for the project, said it was a shame to tear down the steamboat building — which was built by a previous owner to house the memorabilia collection of actress Debbie Reynolds — but the new owners couldn't find a tenant for it. "If (there) was ever a single-use building, this was it," he said. "We didn't take that lightly."

At this point, the destruction of the building actually represents progress. Millions of dollars were spent to develop retail and entertainment buildings during the Belle Island initiative, but that plan went belly-up before construction was finished. Regions Bank foreclosed on the property in 2009 and it sat dormant until Campbell's group finalized its purchase in November.

The new plan envisions the skywheel as a 200-foot-tall billboard that lures motorists off the Parkway and onto the Island, where they'll be able to get a look at the site without leaving their vehicles and can then proceed over a planned bridge to the city's 35-acre parking lot off Teaster Lane.

Redd said the owners are seeing a great deal of interest from national restaurants and attractions, and are aiming for a "pleasant, pedestrian-friendly entertainment complex." The executive said a deal to provide access to the Parkway is nearly complete, and they're getting a bargain on at least one portion of the development. Total Demolition Service of Knoxville is tearing down the steamboat building for free, in exchange for access to the scrap metal.

The Island isn't the only work site in Sevier County, though. Motorists driving in from Interstate 40 may be startled to find a giant gorilla looming over the Parkway, a King Kong replica that adorns the facade of the new Hollywood Wax Museum. Formerly located in Gatlinburg, the museum on Friday opened it's new site in Pigeon Forge, which is located next to another new attraction — the Castle of Chaos and Hannah's Maze of Mirrors — which is owned by the same company.

Tej Sundher, a partner in the wax museum and the company that operates it, declined to say how much money was invested in the two projects, but said Pigeon Forge is a great market.

"I guess the proof's in the pudding," he added. "I can say all I want, but you can see how much we believe in this community."

Wax museums and skywheels aren't the only new developments. Pigeon Forge leaders recently made a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to visit a youth baseball venue linked to former Hall of Famer Cal Ripken. A Kentucky company recently purchased 114 acres on the northeast side of Teaster Lane, west of the planned Jake Thomas Boulevard extension, and is reportedly planning a Ripken venue at that location. The site could include baseball fields, retail and restaurants, and possibly even a hotel.

And across Teaster Lane, a $45 million event center is under construction, also being developed by Campbell's group.

Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, said Wednesday that there's a lot of excitement in Pigeon Forge, where gross tourism revenues were up by 6, 19 and 22 percent, respectively, in the first three months of the year, compared with 2011.

Downey said tourists may not be staying as long as they'd like, but they are coming to Pigeon Forge. "I think (a) lot of people for the last three years or so have had to hold back because of the economy and I think … there's a lot of pent-up demand," he said.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel