Embattled Bible Park Looks for New Location
Developers behind Bible Park USA are considering other sites for their proposed religious theme park after being turned down by Rutherford County in Tennessee.
SafeHarbor Holding, the New York-based company behind the park, recently held "serious" conversations with Lebanon Mayor Don Fox to locate the park in Wilson County, Tenn., reported The Wilson Post.
Special tax zones approved by state legislators in Rutherford and Wilson countries would allow the sales tax generated by the Bible-theme park to help pay for the $180 development, according to News Channel 5.
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"They had already come over and had driven off the sites. They were very familiar with Tater Peeler Road, the dead end and that's where they zoomed in on," said Fox, as reported by News Channel 5.
The developer, Armon Bar-Tur, has also been fielding other offers, saying in a statement that the company has been "overwhelmed" with inquiries about sites for the Bible Park.
Bar-Tur had been courting Rutherford County for about a year before his proposal for the 282-acre park was rejected. A simple majority of the Rutherford County Commission approved, 12-9, a rezoning request in favor of the park in mid-May. However, a petition spearheaded by homeowners residing near the proposed site required a two-thirds majority County Commission vote.
Developers originally planned to open Bible Park USA by Easter 2010. The $175-$200 million project was presented as an "edutainment" experience – a mixed offering of education and entertainment, that will allow visitors to visualize familiar Bible stories and a taste of life in ancient biblical times. Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments would be depicted in a non-denominational and non-interpretive way.
The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., is the only other U.S.-based attraction that touts a similar experience although it is more focused on displays related to Jerusalem.
Aside theological objections, including pastors questioning the biblical accuracy of the displays, Bible Park USA has also drawn fierce opposition from opponents who claim the park will bring a host of unwanted problems to the community such as traffic congestion, noise, and unwanted commercialism.
Controversy also brewed in early May when media outlets reported that the developer, Bar-Tur, used to be a photographer for the soft-porn Penthouse magazine in the 1970s.
Safe Harbor Holdings is considering six sites in Lebanon, Tenn., according to WSMV Nashville. Fox said the park could potentially draw 2.5 million people to the area.
