A new luxury resort is the works for the city of Pigeon Forge.
The resort, called Blue Mist Mountain, is hoping to build a resort complex at the intersection of Wears Valley Road and Waldens Creek Road and open in summer 2021.
The resort would include more than 300 rooms and suites in its mountaintop hotel, 200 bedroom town homes and 40 vacation homes.
The group said the hotel, called The Stirling, would be the first mountaintop hotel of its kind in the marketplace.
Within the hotel, Blue Mist said it will devote a wing to a wellness retreat, including an exclusive outdoor Nordic Spa. There will also be 50,000 square feet of banquet and meeting facilities -- which the resort hopes will attract national and international businesses.
On the resort, Blue Mist plans on setting up sky carriage access from the base of the mountain to a boardwalk that wraps around a crystal lagoon with a sandy beach and cabanas.
Non-guests at the resort will be able to enjoy seven restaurants created by Jon Taffer, an entrepreneur and hospitality consultant who's best know for his role as the host of the show 'Bar Rescue.' The resort expects to be able to accommodate 2,000 non-guests each day,
The restaurants will range from casual to fine dining and include rooftop bars.
Other features planned for the resort include awhiskey distillery, shops, a seasonal ice skating rink, and a 2000-seat natural amphitheater.
"We have a 70 percent, roughly 70 percent return rate among our loyal visitors. So we know people are going to continue to come over and over and we want to make sure they have something new to do, something new to see," Pigeon Forge Mayor David Wear said. "And this development like that on Wears Valley, Blue Mountain Mist is a beautiful development."
The resort would also include 500 units of housing for workers, which the mayor said might be a solution to the growing problem of affordable living for people working within the city.
"Worker housing is very important. It's critical here in Pigeon Forge because we have a lot of businesses that need those front line workers to do the job," Wear said. "We don't have enough people to fill the jobs and we don't have enough housing to get the people in to help fill the jobs."
At Ole Smoky Distillery, the CEO says they have to really work to fill open spots.
"There's a tremendous demand for employees there's no question about it," Robert Hall said. "Our business has grown so we've been having to hire more people. But the whole area has been doing well as the area has become more popular with more visitors to the area."
Ware says not having enough housing--and thus not enough workers--makes it hard for attractions in town.
"That's what makes our economy work, is those front line workers, the faces of the business. The people seating you at the restaurant. The people checking you in at the hotel. Those people make Pigeon Forge what it is and we need to help them," Wear said.
He says Blue Mist Mountain's strategy to include worker housing on the property is likely to be a growing trend.
"I think that's a great model, I think people are going to pick up on that. To be able to provide your own housing for your own workers, you've taken care of yourself there at your own businesses," Wear continued. "Also helping the market by introducing those other housing units that people are going to live in and work outside of your development."
The development has received preliminary authorization from the city and is expected to open in 2021.