Yeah, the Rosebud Lodge is trying to get built just outside of town. Once people found out what they were doing, they changed their website once the locals learned it was specifically for ghey people. Now they owners are trying to be more inclusive as they see their zoning probabilities slip away. Anyway, there are a bunch of articles about the place out there, and the website has been stripped down to a real basic framework since it was drawing negative attention.
Firestorm brewing over alternative lifestyle lodge
By DAMON LAWRENCE
rclawrence@bellsouth.net
A quiet rumble. That's the way zoning officer Kay Christopher
described the public firestorm that's starting to brew over a plan to
bring an adult resort to Roane County.
"You know it's about to hit," Christopher said.
Christopher said her office has been bombarded with phone calls over
the Rosebud Lodge.
The proposed resort and campground will cater to the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community. Pictures on the Rosebud Lodge Web
site --www.rosebudlodge.com -- show same-sex couples, including two
men kissing, two men sitting in a bath tub and one person who appears
to be dressed in drag.
The Rosebud Web site doesn't mention Roane County by name. Riverfront
property just west of Knoxville is the description given about the
location, but a phone number on the site belongs to Gary Foster of
Kettering, Ohio.
He is also listed as the applicant on a zoning request form that was
filed with the county zoning office. When contacted Tuesday, Foster
seemed confident that the resort, described as clothing-optional three
weeks of the month, will come to fruition. He said the location is the
perfect spot for it.
"It's between Nashville and Knoxville and not far from Chattanooga,"
Foster said. "It's a high-traffic area. A lot of people come in there
for the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood and things like that. It's a very
good area, especially for fishing and boating."
According to the county zoning office, the property that would be home
to the resort is located at 920 Skyline Drive. The property, about 60
acres, fronts the Clinch River and is next to Cedar Lake Retreat.
According to county property records, the land is owned by Robert F.
Whiteside Jr., and its appraised value is $704,500.
There are plans to put a health club, pool and dorm-type housing on
the resort. Foster said if the rezoning is approved, the resort could
be open by August.
"I've already been down there several times," Foster said. "My Realtor
is handling everything right now."
Foster said the resort would be for adults only.
"If you go into a lot of campgrounds, you'll see that they have things
going on for just adults without the kids," Foster said. "This will be
a place where we don't want the kids, so the adults can just enjoy
themselves."
The property is currently zoned A-2 (developing agricultural) and
would need to be rezoned to C-1 (general commercial) in order for the
Rosebud Lodge to do business there. That's where public opposition
could come into play. The county commission has the final say on
whether or not to rezone the property. Christopher said people
representing several local churches are among the many who called her
office to inquire about the proposed resort. No one has expressed a
positive opinion, Christopher said.
They will have the opportunity to voice their opinions formally.
Christopher said the request to rezone will be on the planning
commission's agenda for its May 21 meeting and appear on the
commission agenda for its June 9 meeting. Both meetings will be held
at the courthouse.
"I don't think the courthouse is going to be big enough to hold all
the people," said Warren Kocher, a member of the planning commission.
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