New Theme Park Near Nashville?

[QueerRudie]

I somehow think this is going to end up as some form of tabloid TV in the future... It's almost (ALMOST!) worthy of Jerry Springer's attention- and almost as bogus as a group of Maury guests.

 

But we've seen this plot before- and in some ways, it's almost EXACTLY Like it...

 

Anyone remember PTL? Jim and Tammye Faye? Ft. Mill, SC?

 

With the exception that there's no real 'religious' philosophy here- the plot, story, and financials are nearly identical- "A theme park with a studio and other resort features on it" - It's just like Ft. Mill all over again; I wonder how foolish the localities are if they go forward with ANY planning on it.

[Ace Of Spades]

Gotta love that fact that both of the cities I live in (Nashville and Vegas) are getting proposals from groups like this who have no bloody idea what they're doing.

 

Seriously, this guy is mental. If the local planning commission holds this guy in any regard besides lunatic, my faith in humanity will dive past "Jersey Shore" levels.

[thrillerman1]

I'm pretty sure this has already surpassed the debacle of Hard Rock Freestyle Park, and it hasn't even gotten off the ground yet.

[thrillerman1]

In a news article dated 4/18, rezoning was voted down by the city leaders...

 

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110418/WILLIAMSON01/110418050/Spring-Hill-leaders-vote-down-rezoning-for-Festival-Tennessee

 

SPRING HILL — City leaders unanimously voted down a rezoning request tonight for Festival Tennessee, an ambitiously proposed $750 million development for 1,500 acres east of Interstate 65 just south of Saturn Parkway.

 

Several aldermen and Mayor Michael Dinwiddie said the developer, Big International Group of Entertainment, never came to the city with information that would lend the project credibility, such as a feasibility study, a traffic study, or a site plan that would indicate what infrastructure would be needed.

 

Alderman Rick Graham said he agreed with those board members that the project would be better suited as a B4 commercial PUD (planned unit development), which requires more scrutiny and approvals from the board than the straight B4 zoning as requested.

 

 

"This is a slam dunk," he said. “I think this is one of those deals when it needs to be up to the elected officials."

 

 

The company’s CEO, Dennis Peterson said at a March 2 press conference that the project would include a theme park, two resort hotels with 4,000 rooms each, 80 restaurants, a charter school, sports complex and a shopping outlet.

 

 

Alderman Amy Wurth said that lack of information made it difficult for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to approve a plan of services for a related annexation request, both of which were approved at the meeting.

 

 

The nearly 200-acre annexation for the project drew little controversy among board members. At Alderman Eliot Mitchell’s suggestion, the board agreed to extend the 5-year period of time the city has to provide sewer service to 10 years.

 

 

It would now be up to the property owner to come back to the city planning commission with a request to rezone the property as a B4 PUD.

[SFOGdude25]

All I can say is: Thank goodness the project was shot down.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110427/WILLIAMSON12/304270037/Mayor-Theme-park-project-isn-t-dead

 

It could be June at the earliest before plans for Festival Tennessee come back for a vote, if at all.

 

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously voted against a commercial rezoning last week for the $750 million, 1,500-acre project off Jim Warren Road east of Interstate 65.

 

City Administrator Victor Lay said the property owners would have to resubmit a new rezoning request and start all over again with the city Planning Commission. “They’ve already missed the May meeting (deadline). The soonest they could get on the agenda would be in June,” Lay said, noting the May 16 deadline for the commission’s June 6 work session.

 

The rezoning was requested by NWC Investments IV LLC, care of Robert Pittenger Co. Pittenger, based out of Charlotte, N.C., owns 720 acres of the land, and the remaining portion is owned by other individuals.

 

Developer Dennis Peterson, CEO of Big International Group of Entertainment, has an option to buy the properties for Festival Tennessee, which he described as including a theme park, two resort hotels with 4,000 rooms each, 80 restaurants, a charter school, sports complex and a shopping outlet.

 

Board members complained that they had few details to support those big plans. Mayor Michael Dinwiddie said Peterson never came to the city with information that would lend the project credibility, such as a feasibility study, a traffic study or a site plan that would indicate what infrastructure would be needed.

 

'Nothing about it made any sense'

 

Despite the board vote, Dinwiddie said the project isn’t dead. He and several aldermen said they wouldn’t support the rezoning unless it came to them as a commercial PUD (planned unit development), which requires more board scrutiny than straight B4 zoning, as it was requested.

 

The decision pleased adjacent property owners who were at that board meeting.

 

“I think they did the right thing. We will keep following it,” said Benita Villines.

 

Her husband, Hal Villines, said he wonders when and if the property owners will resubmit plans.

 

“It’s a wait and see kind of thing,” he said. “Our primary concern is that if the property can be developed, can it be developed in a way that will benefit everyone.”

 

Many have doubted the description Peterson gave at his March 2 press conference where he also said Festival Tennessee would celebrate a soft opening in November 2012 with a Thanksgiving dinner for the less-fortunate in Williamson, Maury and Rutherford counties. Among other brow-raising plans, Peterson sspoke of recruiting an NBA team and buildinga Niagara Falls water ride in which people could ride a barrel down the falls.

 

“Nothing about it made any sense,” Hal Villines said.

 

Alderman Amy Wurth said that lack of information made it difficult for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to approve a plan of services for a related annexation request, both of which were approved at the meeting.

 

The nearly 200-acre annexation for the project drew little controversy among board members. At Alderman Eliot Mitchell’s suggestion, the board agreed to extend the five-year period of time the city has to provide sewer service to 10 years.

 

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110427/WILLIAMSON12/304270044/Planning-commissioner-replaced-amid-criticism-over-theme-park

 

Mayor Michael Dinwiddie has removed Michael Glass from the city Planning Commission in the wake of controversy surrounding Festival Tennessee.

 

Former Mayor Danny Leverette appointed Glass, who has been the committee chairman, in April 2008.

 

Dinwiddie told Glass about the change in a two-sentence email April 18: “This email is to inform you that I have decided to remove you from the Planning Commission. Thank you for your service to the City of Spring Hill.”

 

Mayor changes mind on zoning type

 

It didn’t surprise Glass, who said he knew Dinwiddie likely would remove him after he publicly criticized the mayor’s handling of Festival Tennessee. He compared Dinwiddie to Wile E. Coyote in a March 22 guest editorial in The Tennessean. “When I decided I would go down that path, I figured I wouldn’t be on it much longer,” Glass said. “I thought if no one else was going to get vocal, I have to be the one who does that. Once you make those statements, you are kind of all in at that point.”

 

Dinwiddie has since changed his stance in favor of B4 commercial planned unit development zoning, which Glass and Alderman Jonathan Duda first proposed, for the 1,500-acre development that ambitiously would include a theme park, two resort hotels with 4,000 rooms each, 80 restaurants, a charter school, sports complex and shopping outlet.

 

The project’s developer, Dennis Peterson, had sought a B4 rezoning, the city’s most open commercial zone. A B4 commercial PUD requires more scrutiny and approvals from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen than the straight B4 zoning.

 

Dinwiddie had little to say about dismissing Glass. “I’m not going to get into a negative, drawn-out thing in the papers, but I do think he acted inappropriately and there needs to be a replacement.”

 

Dinwiddie has already named that person, Jonathan Schwartz, whom Dinwiddie also appointed about a year ago to the city’s Economic Development Commission. “Number one, he comes to our meetings,” he said. “I think he has a great general knowledge of what’s happened in the past and what’s coming. There’s going to be a learning curve, but there would be for anybody.”

 

The full commission will elect a new chairman at its next voting meeting, May 9.

 

City has new vice mayor

 

Another leadership change was the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s appointment of Bruce Hull as the new vice mayor, a post that had been held for two yearsby Alderman Eliot Mitchell.

 

Both Mitchell and Hull were re-elected April 14 — Mitchell to a third term and Hull to his second.

 

Mitchell said he was caught off guard by the change. “I had no idea he was doing that, and it was a total surprise to me,” he said.

 

Dinwiddie defended the appointment.

 

“I think Bruce will do a good job,” he said. “I think he works well with everybody on the board.”

 

In the vote, five members supported making Hull vice mayor while four aldermen — Mitchell, Duda, Hull and Allen Hall — abstained.

[Andrewoplis]

It would be cool to see this happen, but it just seems WAY to over the top for it to work. They need to start simple, build the theme and water park, and maybe a hotel. And if that's successful, then they can start expanding. And this thing REALLY didn't make sense. A theme/water park and hotels, it just seemed like another company tiring to make a resort during hard times. But when I heard the stuff about a sports stadium with a NBA team, shopping, schools, etc. that just made me go WTF?! They ACTUALLY think they can pull this off, especially out side of some place like Nashville?(Not saying that Nashville crappy or anything) It just didn't make sense.

[LoneRider92]

Just when I thought the story couldn't get more ridiculous, it did. And again. And again.

 

It's too bad a large chunk of proposed parks end up becoming pure nonsense. In the end, proposals like this might end up scaring away investors from true, promising projects.

[beatle11]

So Orlando Thrill park pretty much dies, but now this seems to come back from the dead at the same time.

[ernierocker]

So Orlando Thrill park pretty much dies, but now this seems to come back from the dead at the same time.

 

Where do you see that it came back from the dead? The last news we had about this project was back in April.

[beatle11]

^It's kind of a similar situation where they voted against re-zoning the land. It may have been only a couple months ago, but I figured it was unlikely anything would happen, and it may still be that way.