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Council pauses Moulton Street property decision, schedules recessed meeting to answer questions

Montgomery City Council · December 2, 2025

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Summary

Council debated a proposed purchase of two Moulton Street parcels tied to downtown redevelopment and bond reimbursement; members cited tight closing deadlines and outstanding survey work and agreed to carry the item to a recessed meeting on Dec. 8 for follow-up.

Council members discussed a proposed purchase of property on Moulton Street that city staff said is key to planned downtown development. The mayor and economic development staff presented an overview of the resolution authorizing the city to acquire the parcels and to reimburse upfront costs with bond proceeds.

Staff said the city negotiated the price down by about $2 million from asking and described約 $250,000 in development fees and another $250,000 in professional services (surveys, environmental, legal, title) related to the transaction. Council members raised concerns that an Econsult survey and due diligence remained incomplete; some members questioned why the city would be pushed to close before receiving those survey results. Staff said the survey is underway and expected by mid-January, but that the seller required a December closing window or would impose an additional roughly $80,000–$100,000 cost.

Several council members said they needed more time to review the survey and ask follow-up questions. To allow more information to be gathered and to answer outstanding questions, the council agreed to recess and reconvene on Monday, Dec. 8 at 1:00 p.m. to continue consideration of the Moulton Street purchase and the related ordinance; the item and related ordinance were carried over to that recessed meeting. The council did not take final action on the purchase at this session.

Mayor Reed and staff emphasized the property's strategic importance to downtown redevelopment and argued that timing could jeopardize the city's ability to secure the developer and the agreed price. Council members who opposed immediate action said they preferred to preserve time for additional due diligence rather than accept the compressed timeline.