Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Free Press
On Thursday, February 5, 2026, Walker County commissioners approved Rock City’s rezoning request to change their property at Blowing Springs Farms from a residential to a commercial zone. This is one of the first steps in a process of building a gondola from the bottom of the mountain directly to the attraction.
The earliest the construction will take place is at the beginning of 2027. The project is estimated to cost between $30 and $40 million. Rock City also plans to build attractions, such as a corn maze, at the bottom of the mountain for guests’ enjoyment.
Rock City’s plans have been met with a variety of reactions from residents around the area. While Rock City officials hope that having an alternative transportation up the mountain will take traffic away from the mountain roads, residents at the bottom of the mountain are skeptical, worrying that the project will bring unwanted traffic to their own roads.
“There are ways we can get the traffic to that parking area without impacting [the residents] a lot,” Brian Hart, District 3 County Commissioner, comments. “We’ve got to be careful of how we’re going to impact people’s lives. We’re very aware of that.”
One of the main motivators to complete the gondola’s construction is the removal of traffic from the small two-lane mountain roads. According to Hart, Rock City CEO Doug Chapin “feels like [the gondola] will drastically help the residential community on Lookout Mountain because of the traffic.”
While some residents on the mountain worry that the gondola will take away from scenic views, Hart does not believe this is the case. From what Hart could tell from Rock City’s plans, “It’s not going to take away [from] the landscape at all.”
Hart believes the construction of a gondola will overall be beneficial to Chattanooga. Hart says, “The tourism there helps operate our county’s government. It helps us keep our firetrucks on the road and our landfills operating—things that nobody really thinks about [but] that we have to keep going.”
As Rock City develops its plans, it will pass through more government hearings for the gondola’s approval. While many speculate what the outcome of such a construction will mean to surrounding residents, Rock City continues working toward its goal.
Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Free Press.