UPDATE: The Fayette County Board of Adjustment today turned thumbs down on a proposal to create a recreational retreat along pristine Boone Creek, a Kentucky river tributary. Preceding the 4-3 vote to deny the request by Boone Creek Adventures, several members of the board agreed with project opponents who raised concerns about access to the area by fire, police and emergency medical vehicles. Board members also said that in their view, the concept was for an amusement park and such a facility is not permitted for a rural area of Fayette County.
Lexington, KY - One of the largest focuses of Kentucky's tourism cabinet has been on positioning the state as a viable travel destination for both out-of-towners and stateside residents, showcasing Kentucky's natural beauty and various indigenous recreational resources and attractions. The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority does its part to bolster the efforts of ambitious tourism ventures by approving small business loans that provide upstarts with efficient means to carry out their visions.
In late November, the authority approved a $250,000 small business loan to Boone Creek Properties LLC for the adventure tourism project Boone Creek Outdoors, which seeks to vitalize the southern Fayette County area with an assortment of unique outdoor recreation opportunities/ projects and ultimately leave a palpable positive impact on the local community and the state.
The Boone Creek region is inarguably rich in historical significance and aesthetic worth. At the point where the creek flows into the Kentucky River, it forms striking limestone palisades, cascading waterfalls, enormous trees and scores of rare wildflowers. It also provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including wild turkey, deer, mink, otter and true Kentucky wildcats. One location features remnants of a pioneer cabin that lore suggests is a spot where Daniel Boone sought refuge and hiding quarters from pursuant native Americans. Still, this area remains largely unheralded and unnoticed by a larger portion of the population - something that local tourism business owners seek to rectify.
Lexington businessman Burgess Carey purchased upward of 20 acres of this gorge area in 1994 (eventually securing title under the name Boone Creek Properties in 1995), cleaning up the remnants of a defunct truck stop that once operated on the premises and eventually opening a small private fishing club, Boone Creek Angler's Club, in 2000 to help subsidize the property's upkeep and maintenance.
"People don't know this is here, because almost nobody ever gets to see it," said Carey.
His company's Boone Creek Outdoors project revolves around the creation of a viable adventure tourism outfit, a 167-acre recreation destination offering up the region's best kayaking, hiking, mountain climbing and open trails for bird watching. One of the proposed big-ticket attractions would be guided, small-group "canopy tours," given above the gorge through the use of zip lines and suspension bridges. These tours aim to provide an educational experience, not a simple roller-coaster style thrill ride, but a tour that would enlighten visitors to the unmistakable homegrown beauty and vastness of the gorge area while providing history of this tract of the Kentucky River valley that is home to some of the state's earliest pioneer settlements and landmarks.
A canopy tour is quite different from a basic zip ride, although the two terms are often used interchangeably. According to Boone Creek Outdoors, much of the difference lies simply in the terms "ride" versus "tour"; the former implies speeding down a zip line in thrilling fashion, while the latter implies the primary and studied exploration of a special setting. A canopy tour does, however, feature some of the shared elements of a thrilling ride, but it also provides a pronounced educational component. Another main distinction of a canopy tour is that it refers to the upper forest, thus implying a more heavily tree-based experience in comparison to zip lines, which are generally used to gain access to terrain that is devoid of trees.
Carey is proud that Boone Creek Outdoors is working with some of the world's best course designers in engineering the canopy tour setup, a partnership that would optimize design and functionality. The canopy tour is perhaps the crucial component in allowing the Boone Creek business to exist as a sustainable financial entity, one that could grow into what Carey perceives as a "national-class attraction." He also estimates that the business can draw as many as 20,000 visitors annually while simultaneously providing "clean" seasonal eco-jobs for up to 30 workers.
The overall plans would require somewhere in the vicinity of $2 million in capital investment by way of both private financing and monies from the aforementioned $250,000 tourism loan via the Tourism Development Finance Authority.
Before any of Boone Creek Properties' plans come to fruition, Carey and company must overcome opposing neighborhood and various local factions that believe the concept violates local zoning laws and could pose risks to the area's sensitive environment. Those expressing concern include the Old Richmond Road and Boone Creek neighborhood associations, Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation, and Fayette Alliance, which have raised questions revolving around environmental impact, tourism traffic and emergency access to the area.
Fayette Alliance executive director Knox Van Nagell said that the conceptual spirit of Boone Creek Outdoors is admirable and possibly beneficial to state commerce, but it must be cautiously managed and within accordance of established legal precedents.
"Eco-tourism could be a great thing, but it must be done carefully," Van Nagell said.
One standing arguments is in regard to Fayette County zoning laws and whether, in fact, an outfit like Boone Creek Outdoors is legally considered an amusement park. In accordance with city laws, the operation of technically defined amusement parks are prohibited within the area's defined agricultural zone.
Concerned parties have argued that the project does fit established criteria as an amusement park, therefore requiring that it receive proper regulation through a special zoning amendment. Van Nagell has urged Carey to withdraw his application until the various legal issues are ironed out in both an effort to allow prime management of the eco-business itself and for protection of local policies involving rural zoning. Urban County Council member Gloria Martin said that she likes Carey's idea, but she believes that his project falls under the amusement park classification and should be regulated as such.
This opposition serves as a bit of a head-scratcher for Carey. Though he supports and has "tremendous respect for the opposing organizations," he said, he had believed that his project would be of the very sort that respective dissenting organizations would support rather than actively oppose.
Carey said that revenues from his business would allow him to provide better protection and environmental restoration to the gorge area. Grazing cattle in the area have damaged and stripped some vegetation, one area of replenishment that would receive focus under Carey's plans, he said. He also suggested that one of the more prevalent threats to the environment comes not in the form of visitors but instead from the presence of invasive plant life, originally introduced in the area decades ago during the construction of I-75.
In December, a four-hour hearing was held to discuss and dissect the zoning and environmental concerns surrounding the Boone Creek project, one which attracted a sizable gathering of both supporters and those rivaling the proposed activities. Lexington's Board of Adjustment continued the hearing until Jan. 27 for final resolution.
Despite trepidation from certain parties, support for Boone Creek Outdoors has also come from many community allies. The LFUCG planning staff has recommended approval of Carey's request for a conditional use permit, and city forester Tim Queary reported to the Board of Adjustment that the proposed canopy tours would not pose harm or inflict damage to area trees. The Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau and the local environmental commission have endorsed the project, and it has received a positive reception from most neighboring land and property owners.
As with every business endeavor, especially those concerning and operating within the confines of the environment and natural ecosystems, the concepts of risk versus reward must always be considered. What is good for the prosperity of a business must not come at the expense of environmental sustainability, just as profitability should not always imply that the needs of the environment have been neglected or dismissed.
"Popularity could be an issue, and a welcome one, but I believe it can be controlled," said Carey.
His visualization of Boone Creek is one that would not only benefit the environment but, by proposition, shape the conception of the area in the eyes of visitors.
"Attractions like this can have an impact on visitors as well as on visiting businesses that will hopefully take interest and come back to our state," said Carey.
Carey's ambition will likely see him find success with his Boone Creek project despite the obstacles that continue to present themselves. For all intents and purposes, his entrepreneurial heart appears to be in the right place. It is the belief of the parent company Boone Creek Properties that the best use of "property is through enjoyment and education of the outdoor resources to be found there.
"I believe that our project will lend a new perspective to central Kentucky," he said, "and be a long-term asset to our community."