The proposal by Great Wolf Lodge Family Resorts to establish a lodge and indoor water park at the site of Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree City Hotel and Resort is creating a lot of talk. The Citizen asked Mayor Scott Padgett for his perspective on the indoor water park in his jurisdiction in Concord, N.C., where Great Wolf has operated a facility for the past six years.
“Great Wolf has been an excellent addition to our city as a corporate citizen,” said Padgett. “They jumped in and supported local civic and social service organizations and they have been very supportive of the community.”
The Peachtree City proposal by Great Wolf Lodge of Georgia LLC requests the rezoning of the 38.4-acre property from GC (general commercial) to LUC (limited use commercial) to redevelop the property currently occupied by Dolce. In addition to the water park and hotel, the application states that the property will include specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms and children’s activity areas.
The initial presentation before the Peachtree City Planning Commission could occur as early as February, said City Manager Jim Pennington.
Padgett said an area of special interest to Great Wolf has been with active duty members of the military.
“They’ve been very generous and are a big supporters of active duty service people and their families,” Padgett said.
Describing the city’s experience with Great Wolf as “nothing but positive,” Padgett said the company is bringing in “tons of sales tax dollars and, of course, property tax dollars.”
Unlike the proposed location in Peachtree City that has neighboring subdivisions to the north and east, the Great Wolf facility in Concord is located in a commercial area (the tract in Peachtree City is also zoned commercial) that has one nearby subdivision of upscale homes several hundred feet to the southwest across a four-lane highway.
Above, inside the water park of a Great Wolf Lodge. From the company’s Facebook page.
Whether from the residences or adjacent commercial properties, Padgett said there have been no complaints. He said the initial concerns were about noise and traffic.
As for traffic, the guests tend to stay on the property or, when visiting local businesses, they are on the road at times other than rush-hour, Padgett said.
When it comes to noise, Padgett said the activity on the premises is inside the building.
“So we’ve had no noise issues,” said Padgett.
Padgett said he did not know the number of people employed at the Concord site, though he was aware that some of the part-time positions are held by young people from the area.
“It offers a chance for the young people working part-time to earn some money for college,” said Padgett. “And they are trained well, including in customer service.
Great Wolf is proposing to operate a family-oriented destination resort operating from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day which would include 398 guest rooms and a total of 173,615 sq. ft. of entertainment, retail, restaurant, meeting and support space.
The property is located on Aberdeen Parkway approximately 900 feet from Ga. Highway 74 North.
Adjacent property includes GR (general residential) to the north, GC (general commercial) to the west which includes the Hilton Garden Inn, LUC-3 (limited use commercial) to the south with Riley Parkway and adjacent residences to the east.
Beyond the existing hotel and conference center buildings spread throughout the 38-acre property, Great Wolf is proposing to add a 54,800 sq. ft. indoor water park connected to the current conference center, a three-story hotel on the north side of the site, increased parking, two additional stormwater ponds and a possible patio off one of the existing restaurants.
The water park is exclusively reserved for guests, according to the company’s website. Guests with visitors can purchase a limited number of wristbands, valid for one day, at $40 each. Amenities such as restaurants, spas and the interactive MagiQuest game are open to the public, according to the Great Wolf Lodge website.
A substantial amount of the existing facility would be renovated and incorporated into the redevelopment plan, according to Great Wolf.
Below, from the company’s Facebook page, a view of the water slides.
The plan narrative states that Great Wolf’s architectural theme is based on “lodge” architecture and the entire resort will follow a natural design approach that incorporates preservation of the property’s natural resources and emphasizes low-impact design solutions. Additional parking areas will be well-screened and buffer areas will be maintained or enhanced around the perimeter of the property, according to the plan narrative.
In terms of the economic benefit to the city and county, Great Wolf said property taxes are estimated to total $108,000 while hotel/motel taxes are expected to generate $1.5 million. County property taxes are expected to total $433,000 while county and state sales taxes are estimated at $1.7 million.
The resort is projected to employ up to 500 people during peak operating times.
The Great Wolf narrative stated that user demographics typically project five persons traveling from a distance of 200 miles by automobile and staying an average of 2-3 days.
The proposal asked for three variances. Those include reducing the stream buffer, reducing the 75-foot setback and buffer on the north side of the property to 40 feet for the water park building and related use and 20 feet for a proposed access drive and waiving requirements for additional stormwater management facilities for the existing impervious areas.
