In 2016, a wildfire laid many of Gatlinburg’s structures to waste. The luxury condo resort, Highlands of the Smokies, has finally reopened after 8 years.
Highlands of the Smokies Reopening
The 2016 wildfire in Gatlinburg killed 14 people and burned over 11,000 acres of land. Since that time, several businesses and homes have been rebuilt. However, Highlands of the Smokies, one of the major developments that were lost to the fire, only recently completed construction. The luxury condo resort struggled for years as the developers could not determine the next steps.
In 2020, Elevation Developments acquired the property. The cost to rebuild would amount to $27 million. According to Luke Lainey of Elevation Development, they wanted to bring the resort back to life. They wanted to highlight Mount Leconte and the surrounding areas. After years of design and construction, they created a new and more modernized resort.
High ceilings and wide windows brought the views indoors. Over 38 condos were at the resort with people living and staying in the units for the past few weeks. The first phase of development is done and more construction is still planned. When everything finishes, the Highlands of the Smokies will have around 90 condos in the resort — more than the 76 condo units that stood in 2016.
