Walker County approves rezoning to advance Rock City gondola plan

The Walker County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning request from Rock City Enterprises that reclassified a parcel on the side of Lookout Mountain from residential to commercial, the board announced.

The rezoning is the first of two local governmental approvals Rock City must secure to proceed with a proposed $30,000,000 plan to build a gondola system that would carry visitors from the company's property in Chattanooga Valley up to the main attraction on Lookout Mountain. The board's action clears the local zoning requirement but does not itself authorize construction.

An unidentified speaker associated with the project said, "What makes Rock City special is that there is only 1 Rock City," and described the plan as part of long-term efforts "to uncover and preserve the beautiful things about Lookout Mountain." The board noted a second required public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 at Lookout Mountain City Hall.

The board recorded the rezoning as unanimous; no individual motions, seconds or roll-call vote breakdown were provided in the transcript. The county did not specify additional conditions attached to the rezoning, nor did it detail any required state or federal approvals that the project may later need.

The next public hearing will give residents another opportunity to raise concerns or support before the county proceeds with any further approvals.