Resort Town Seeing $90M of New Development

PIGEON FORGE, TN-Work is under way on $90 million worth of new development in this east Tennessee resort town, which is home to Dollywood and situated adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the nation.

In the largest of three projects, Southern Venue Development LLC is developing Belle Island Village, a $60-million destination attraction. Its opening is anticipated in the spring of 2005. As well, Holrob Investments is developing Walden’s Landing, an estimated $15-million specialty retail center slated to open Memorial Day 2004. The third project, also a $15-million venture, is a 110,000-sf destination retailing facility called Boyds Bear Country that will open in the fall of 2004 and include a 500-seat restaurant.

Leon Downey, the city’s executive director of tourism, says the developments will add more than a hundred new retail businesses and dozens of restaurant and food operations to the city, which receives some 11 million visitors each year. “This is an exciting time,” he says.