12-screen movie theater is among the plans

By Casey McMahan
casey@theheraldnewspapers.com

The Pigeon Forge Regional Planning Commission gave the OK for developers working to build a major retail center in Pigeon Forge.
The Main Street Marketplace is proposed to be built on the former Jake Thomas Farm property. Plans call for 180,000 square feet of retail space, and another 50,000 square feet for restaurant space.
The highlight of the development will be a 12-screen move theater with a 2,220-seat capacity.
A press release from the developer, The Condos Group, LLC, said that between 700 and 900 jobs will be created by the project with $10 million in sales taxes generated each year.
Site work on the project was halted earlier this year when it was discovered that areas of wetlands on the site had been damaged by construction. The developers have worked with various government agencies on this are now finishing gathering the required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to the Director for Community Development John Jagger, the next step for the project is for the developer to come back to the planning commission with architectural drawings and to work with city buildings inspectors to get the necessary building permits.
Construction on the project could begin in the early spring, said Jagger.

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