Great Wolf Lodge construction postponed, Jackson leaders remain optimistic

The Great Wolf Lodge’s opening in Jackson, a plan nearly three years in the making, has had its construction contract postponed.

Approval for the sale of the 258 acres of land behind the West Tennessee Sportsplex on Ridgecrest Road — 36 acres of which will allow for the development of the Great Wolf Lodge — was previously approved in the March Jackson city council meeting.

President and CEO of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce Kyle Spurgeon noted that though he is optimistic about the new construction timeline, it will nonetheless be launching later than originally anticipated.

“Lodge will be under construction prior to Dec. 31, 2024,” said Spurgeon. "We are all hoping the actual commencement of construction is much sooner.”

The agenda from the November meeting revealed that the construction for the lodge had been postponed due to, what Spurgeon describes as, “supply chain constraints” and “the rising cost of money” due to increases in interest rates and inflation.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues were not unique to development plans in Jackson, but affected proposed projects and existing businesses globally.

Mayor Scott Conger noted that the Dec. 31 date for the groundbreaking is not subject to change and that development must begin by then.

“The city and the county both recently passed amendments to the private act that was put in place in 2019 to give a one-year extension, so it won’t be amended again,” said Conger.

The sale contract of the land, separate from the construction contract, is under the discretion and responsibility of the Industrial Development Board and is still scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31.

Both Conger and Spurgeon noted that there are currently no other foreseeable delays or potential setbacks for the construction.

“Great Wolf has told us from the start, from all the issues with the pandemic and supply chains, how committed they are to the Jackson construction project and bringing Great Wolf to this area,” Conger added. “Outside of anything that we can’t perceive, their commitment remains.”

The lodge will be the resort chain's first location in the state of Tennessee and is expected to bring approximately 500 jobs to Jackson.

“The city of Jackson is on a growth pattern now that’s going to be positively impacted and felt for the next 20 to 30 years,” said Conger. “We’re able now to also be selective on how we see that development happen. If you look back 11 years ago when Pacific Manufacturing came, we were giving industrial land away — now we’re selling industrial land for $60,000 an acre. We can be selective and make sure we have the development and the progress that we want to have and not just accept anything that is brought to us for the sake of development.”

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: The construction of Jackson's Great Wolf Lodge has been postponed