Road
will be first project to start in new Tourism Development Zone
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (September 2006) – Design work on a
new road in Pigeon Forge, Pigeon Falls Lane, is virtually complete, and
selection of a contractor is expected by the end of October.
The road will be the first construction
project to begin in the city’s newly designated
Tourism Development Zone (TDZ), according to John Jagger, director of community
development for Pigeon Forge.
“The Knoxville office of Gresham Smith &
Partners has designed the road and is preparing the bid packet for
contractors. We anticipate the bid
announcement before the end of September and the opening of bids a few weeks
after that,” Jagger said.
Pigeon
Falls Lane will
start at Teaster Lane
just south of the Belz Factory Outlet World Annex. It will be almost a half-mile long and is
designed to connect with a proposed extension of Jake Thomas Road.
Pigeon
Falls Lane and the
Jake Thomas Road
extension are part of the infrastructure development in the TDZ, which was
approved by the state in May.
The TDZ is a defined area in which the
city can make specified public improvements with special financing. Some of the sales tax generated by businesses
that open in the TDZ will be earmarked to retire the bonds that finance the
public improvements.
In addition to basic components such as
roads and utilities, the City of Pigeon
Forge is working toward a parking facility, a hub for
the Fun Time Trolley system and other developments.
Early private-sector investments that
are evolving in the TDZ include Pigeon
Falls Village,
a mixed-used development with retail, lodging, dining and entertainment, and Belle Island
Village, another
multi-faceted development.
“The TDZ concept allows the city to
grow in an orderly fashion and to use taxes that new businesses generate. It’s a great method,” Jagger said.
Actual construction of Pigeon Falls Lane
will take between nine and 12 months.
#
Contact:
John Jagger 865-429-7312
or
Tom Adkinson 615-341-3640