Listen to development plan for Red River Gorge before you get so angry
It’s a new year full of possibility. Today I spent the day hiking and paddling in the Red River Gorge, a place near and dear to my heart. I remember my mom taking me here every year on our way to my aunt Lila’s in Breathitt County for Thanksgiving. I always looked forward to our Natural Bridge hikes. I grew up in Kentucky and graduated from the University of Kentucky. For the last three years I have stationed my outdoor adventure company, Stand Up Paddle Kentucky, in Slade.
When I first got wind of a big “resort” coming in, I was worried about how a development like this would impact our area. A week later I went to a community meeting about the project. Prior to attending the meeting, I read the full concept paper that is publicly available at redriverky.com. As I read, my initial fears subsided. The language and goals of the project gave me some hope for positive change in eastern Kentucky.
The Red River Gorge is going through a transition. From the time Stand Up Paddle Kentucky first opened our doors just three years short years ago to now the visitation in the Gorge has grown dramatically. I love to see this increase in tourism for the area. Many businesses for the first time ever are able to stay open all year long and not have to shut down for the winter.
But as the Gorge enters this new stage of development, I am woefully reminded that there is zero planning or zoning in the Gorge. There is no sustainable infrastructure and no public funding to provide any. In this era of social media communication, people discover and share experiences publicly, and locations can quickly grow, sprawl and become overcrowded if plans aren’t made and infrastructure isn’t created to handle the expanding number of tourists.
Right now the Gorge is experiencing what is known as a highly developed destination state in tourism models. In this state, it is becoming overcrowded with travelers, particularly in high seasons. There are heavy amounts of private tourism infrastructure, sprawl and traffic. Competition for land is on the rise, and water is becoming less and less accessible to local residents as cabins vie for the best view. Now that this stage has begun you will soon see price inflation for goods, services and land. It won’t be long before these circumstances push local residents completely out of the area. The inner tourism core will become unattractive to higher-paying visitors, forcing developers to create luxury developments outside of the crowded areas.
Sound familiar?
This critical moment requires a big move, and amid this potentially dire situation I see opportunity.
Eastern Kentucky has been watching its young people move on for decades. The last of the coal jobs are gone. We have finally reached a new era, one in which ecotourism could provide lifelong, sustainable employment for our young people and preservation of this amazing area—if we have a plan.
I will not make a final conclusion in support of or against the proposed resort until I see the master plan, but the creation of a plan is critical for the Red River Gorge. It should also be said that the proposed 900-acre site is private land. Public input was not needed. The owner is free to develop that land however he sees fit. This current project, however, is conceived as a public-private partnership and has a comprehensive plan. The developer sought community engagement and conducted environmental impact assessments and infrastructure research.
Without studies like this, development is haphazard and disorganized. It taps out local resources and pollutes waterways, soil and air. It also diminishes property value. I am sure you have all noticed the many abandoned and dilapidated buildings lining the roadway to the Natural Bridge State Resort Park. All are remnants of poorly planned ideas.
The Gorge is a special place for natural history in our state. It houses Kentucky’s only wild and scenic river, the Red River, which has been for years contaminated by human waste. The Gorge also has more than 100 stone arches and is home to many species of flora and fauna. All of this land needs management and preservation, both of which require a plan and funding.
This New Year’s Eve I noticed a petition being circulated online that contained many pieces of misinformation about the development project. It read: “Outsiders are trying to come in and take over, the state park is at risk and this new proposal will bring a million more people to an already crowded area. No local business owners want it.” I want to shed just a bit of light on these inaccurate statements.
First, the people that organized the petition were not even born or raised here. They are from out of state.
Second, the board of directors for the Red River Economic Development LLC, the group proposing the resort, is made up of four county judge executives, one from each contiguous county: Powell, Wolfe, Lee and Menifee. In case you don’t know, the judge executives handle all of the county budgets. The other members of the board are bankers and a communications specialist. Let’s take a minute to think that through.
Third, the state park would not be damaged by this project but would be bolstered, as the resort is currently proposed to be a public-private partnership that would give the park much needed funding to make improvements that have been sorely needed for decades.
The proposed resort would have 150-175 rooms and a few high-end cabins. This would never bring a million more people to the Gorge. That’s simple. Just do the math. Even if the rooms were booked at full double occupancy capacity for the year, that’s a maximum of 120,000 more people. The state park currently draws between 300,000-400,000 visitors each year.
Lastly, there are several other local business leaders that feel the same way I do—that we need to plan for sustainable growth—but they are afraid to speak up for fear of retribution.
In this era of miscommunication, please read all of the available information on this proposed development project. Please attend the public meetings and be engaged. Do not just click and sign a petition flashing across your screen claiming that the Gorge is under attack.
Like it or not the Gorge will continue to grow. The real question: Do we want to see that growth continue with or without community input about sustainability, environmental preservation and restoration? Kentucky is an amazingly beautiful place, and the Red River Gorge is one of its prized gems. People are going to keep coming. I say, let’s be ready for them.
Heather Warman is the co-owner of Stand Up Paddle Kentucky, an eco-adventure company in Slade.