Irondale council approves sale of 45 acres of Dabbs property to Pine Whispers LLC

The Irondale City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-15 to sell 45 acres of the Dabbs property to Pine Whispers LLC at a purchase price of $45,000 per acre, with an option to buy an additional 30 acres owned by the city that must be exercised within three years of closing.

Mayor James C. Stewart Jr. described the terms in the meeting after the council returned from a closed executive session on the real-property transaction, saying, "This ordinance here is for the sale of 45 acres located on the Dabbs property along with the option to purchase an additional 30 acres owned by the city adjacent to the Dabbs property. The purchase price is $45,000 per acre. The option must be exercised anytime within 3 years from the closing date of the property." The mayor made those remarks when the council resumed open session and introduced the ordinance for immediate consideration.

Council members added Ordinance 2025-15 to the agenda after returning from executive session, accepted no public comment on the newly added item, and then voted to suspend the rules and adopt the ordinance in the same meeting. A roll-call vote on suspension recorded "Yes" from Councilmembers London, Arnold, Fox, Sims and the council president; final passage was approved by voice vote as "Aye." The transcript indicates unanimous approval; no votes against, abstentions, or recusals were recorded.

The council's action followed a closed-door session in which members discussed what consideration the council would be willing to accept for the sale of real property. The mayor did not provide additional public details about negotiations or contingencies in the meeting record. No public comments were offered on the item after it was added to the agenda.

The ordinance authorizes the mayor to execute a purchase agreement with Pine Whispers LLC and to complete the necessary closing documents. The council provided no further timeline for closing during the meeting.