Cherokee Outdoor Resort By the Smokies (formerly Sequoyah Lodge and Lake Resort) Tellico Reservoir
Monroe County, Tennessee
On July 28, 2021, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) completed a Supplemental Environmental Assessment and issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposal by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) to develop a resort located in the Town of Vonore, in Monroe County, Tennessee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers served as a cooperating agency.
In 2003, the EBCI submitted a request for the conveyance of 40 acres of TVA public land on Tellico Reservoir for use to develop a commercial recreation complex called the “Sequoyah Lodge and Lake Resort.” The properties included in the request were TVA Parcel 94 and a portion of Parcel 95 (as designated in the 2000 Tellico Reservoir Land Management Plan), located just southwest of the Niles Ferry Bridge over the Tellico River. The EBCI also submitted an associated request for approval under Section 26a of the TVA Act to construct water use facilities and to install riprap for shoreline stabilization.
In 2004, TVA completed an EA to review the potential impacts of the proposed action and issued a finding of no significant impact. Although TVA granted the easement and issued a Section 26a permit at the time, the project was not completed.
In 2020, the EBCI submitted revised plans for the development, which has been renamed “Cherokee Outdoor Resort by the Smokies.” The revised EBCI proposal would affect approximately 35 acres of land and would include RV-camping facilities, rental cabins, a visitor clubhouse, swimming and beach facilities, shoreline stabilization, and water-based amenities, including an inflatable playground placed in the reservoir.
To consider the revised proposal, TVA supplemented the 2004 EA. TVA issued the draft Supplemental EA for public review and comment in May 2021. TVA considered public input in its preparation of the final Supplemental EA, which includes TVA’s responses to public comments.
Related Documents
Cherokee Outdoor Resort by the Smokies Final Supplemental EA (2021)
Cherokee Outdoor Resort by the Smokies FONSI (2021)
Contact
More information on this environmental review can be obtained from:
Matthew Higdon
NEPA Specialist
[email protected]
865-632-8051
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B
Knoxville, TN 37902