PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Pigeon Forge city leaders have launched Comprehensive Plan 2050, a long-range roadmap intended to guide decisions on housing, transportation, infrastructure, tourism and economic development over the next 20-plus years.
The city held a public kickoff meeting Tuesday evening at the Pigeon Forge Community Center. Officials said the plan will take about a year to complete, with additional public meetings scheduled throughout the process. TSW Consulting is working with the city to develop the plan.
Community Development Director David Taylor said the city is not entering the process with predetermined outcomes.
“We’re not going into this with any preconceived ideas,” Taylor said. “We want to hear from the public, and we have a stakeholder group that will be meeting, a steering committee. So we want to hear their ideas and we want to get that information and then we can chart the course moving forward.”
Taylor said feedback gathered from residents will determine which issues the plan addresses first.
“Community plans are community driven and we need public input,” Taylor said. “It’s an opportunity for everyone to share their ideas, share their concerns, what they feel is important to Pigeon Forge moving forward, and then once we compile all that information, then we can come up with the plan moving forward.”
Taylor said housing and transportation — including multimodal and pedestrian-friendly options — are among the biggest issues the city needs to address. He also noted the plan could improve the city’s position for grant funding once completed.
Danette Rolen’s family opened the Norma Dan Motel in 1958. She took over in 1990 and said she hopes the city does not lose what made it distinctive.
“I would still like to see us get back to the mountains,” Rolen said. “The Great Smoky Mountains is what started our community. I’d like to see it get back to some of our mountain heritage.”
Rolen said she has watched Pigeon Forge shift from locally owned businesses to corporate entities and expressed concern about water and sewer infrastructure keeping pace with growth.
“It’s hard to think that we’ve gotten this far in the last 25 years,” Rolen said. “I would like to see some of the commercialized slow down a little bit. I’d like to see it back to our local community. I mean, everybody in Pigeon Forge has grown up together and it’s just — it is a great community.”
Laurie Faulkner, CEO of Pigeon Forge Community Center said growth has created opportunity but that local needs must be part of the conversation.
“It’s great to have tourism, but with this comes growth of the hospitals and the schools and everything that we can do to benefit together,” Faulkner said. “That’s why it’s so important for us all to work together in this project.”
Faulkner also pointed to the city’s new Greenway Trail as a positive development and said she hopes Pigeon Forge remains a family-friendly destination.
Residents can share their ideas and concerns here. https://surveymonkey.com/r/PigeonForgeCP
