Rock City asks Walker County to rezone Lookout Mountain parcel for gondola project

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 traffic study by Kimley‑Horn estimates a peak‑day reduction of about 3,000 vehicle trips on Ox Highway and a diversion of roughly 30% of inbound traffic onto Battlefield Parkway on busy days. Chapin said the initial parking concept at the lower station is about 1,200 spaces (with room for up to 2,500); he noted current parking on Lookout Mountain is about 759 spaces and that the gondola could lengthen visitor stays and reduce turnover pressure on peak days.

"This is sort of the emotional plea," Chapin said, describing Rock City’s four‑generation history on Lookout Mountain and the project’s goals of safer guest access and preservation of scenic views. He said the gondola construction would be relatively low impact on the landscape, with pole foundations set via helicopter and the majority of equipment operating above the canopy.

Lacey Smith, representing the Walker County Chamber of Commerce, said she supported the rezoning as a benefit to local businesses and tourism and referenced Rock City’s role in local workforce development. "I am excited about the potential of seeing this project come to fruition," Smith said, adding that redirecting travelers to Battlefield Parkway could capture additional visitor spending for county businesses.

Miller Welburn, a resident of Lookout Mountain, also voiced support, saying the project would move traffic off the mountain and increase tourism revenue and the county tax base. Multiple commissioners and board members questioned Chapin and staff about estimates; Chapin confirmed the traffic and job figures were estimates tied to peak‑day conditions and preliminary market research, including an estimate of about 20 new full‑time jobs.

Outside counsel Kirby Yost of Chambliss Law told commissioners the applicant’s narrative addresses rezoning standards in the Walker County zoning code and argued the parcel in question is essentially unusable for single‑family residential development because it lacks road access and utilities. "You can't get all of utilities to it that you would need for a single family residence," Yost said, adding that constructing safe daily access would likely be unsafe and impractical.

No formal motion or vote on the rezoning appears in the portion of the meeting recorded in the provided transcript. The presentation included technical questions about parking, ticketing and operating hours for seasonal events; Chapin said ticket sales for evening events would stop at 10:30 p.m., and the last tram departure would be at that time. Commissioners asked for additional feasibility and pricing analyses and clarification of traffic mitigation details that remain under study.

The commission took no recorded final action on the rezoning in the provided transcript; the item remained under consideration at the close of the recorded discussion.