Rocky Top City Council passes resolution
A “large-scale tourist resort” that would be partially funded by the coal company that owns the Windrock off-road park could be coming to Rocky Top, City Council members were told during the council’s regular meeting last Thursday.
In response, the council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the project, whose details are being kept secret for now.
Council members learned that Rocky Top and the Oliver Springs area may be the top two choices for the resort’s location, but that Rocky Top might have the edge because the resort’s developers could be looking for a site that is close to an interstate highway interchange.
Rocky Top has two such interchanges on Interstate 75, while Oliver Springs is miles away from an interstate.
Also, Rocky Top is close to Norris Lake, while Oliver Springs has no such lake close by, the council discussion noted.
The resolution starts out saying, “Anderson County has recently been approached about the possibility of a large-scale outdoor-themed resort,” and that “Anderson County is blessed with the perfect blend of natural resources to showcase to any prospective developer …
“Anderson County is home to the magnificent Windrock Mountain, the nation’s premier location for off-road recreational-vehicle enthusiasts. With over 73,000 acres and 300 miles of trails, Windrock offers extreme fun to visitors wanting to experience mountain bike courses and trails for a variety of outdoor recreational vehicles of all skill levels. …”
It also notes, “Rocky Top is the ideal location, being an Adventure Tourism District, at the northern end of Windrock Park properties and close proximity to Norris Lake, Norris Dam State Park, Mountain Lake Marina, Norris Dam Marina and the Clinch River makes the city the perfect location for an outdoor-themed resort having all the pristine natural resources needed to attract any outdoor enthusiast.”
There was no mention of a particular site in the Rocky Top area that might be suitable for the project.
No timetable was mentioned for when a decision might be made on the resort’s location, but Mayor Kerry Templin noted that it has solid financial backing.
That’s the opposite of a planned giant water park attraction a developer proposed for then-Lake City in 2014, which led to a change of the city’s name to Rocky Top.
The water park’s developer never obtained the necessary financing to build the project, and the plans were subsequently scuttled.