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Rock City asks Walker County to rezone Lookout Mountain parcel for gondola project
Summary
Rock City asked the Walker County Commission to rezone a small Lookout Mountain parcel from R‑1 residential to C‑1 commercial to allow construction of a gondola and related lower‑mountain facilities. Company leaders and the Walker County Chamber said the project would reduce peak‑day vehicle trips and boost tourism; counsel said the parcel lacks residential access. No formal vote is recorded in the provided transcript.
Rock City representatives presented a rezoning request to the Walker County Commission to allow construction of a gondola they say would improve access to Lookout Mountain and expand tourism.
Doug Chapin, president and CEO of Rock City, told the commission the proposed "Project Skybloom" is a roughly $30 million to $40 million capital investment that would add a two‑station gondola engineered to ride above the tree canopy. "For every dollar spent at Rock City, 83¢ is spent within our local economy," Chapin said, citing a Georgia Tech economic impact study based on 2024 data that he said estimated about $49.1 million in regional economic impact and roughly $1.2 million in combined tax impacts, including about $650,000 to Walker County.
Chapin described the gondola as having two main stations and nine poles and said Rock City has worked with industry designers PGAV Destinations and equipment manufacturer Doppelmayr. He said a…
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