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Auburn council approves contracts, development projects and a city code change; denies pre-zoning request
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Summary
Mayor Ron Anders reported the City Council on Dec. 16 approved multiple contracts and development items, adopted a city code amendment to mirror state law on vapor products, denied a 36.6-acre pre-zoning request and postponed an 85-acre annexation to Jan. 6, 2026. A tattoo shop approval passed 5-3 with restricted hours.
Mayor Ron Anders reported that the Auburn City Council approved a string of contracts and development items at its Dec. 16 meeting, denied a pre-zoning application for about 36.6 acres on Cox Road and amended city code to exclude gross receipts from consumable vapor products to match state law.
"Straley and Hess is adding 18,000 square feet and making a $2,750,000 capital investment," Anders said while summarizing the council's actions. The council also approved a contract with Kimley-Horn Associates for a FY2026 citywide traffic study at just under $700,000 (budgeted at $750,000) and a $383,000 fiber expansion project with Thalamus, LLC to add signal and intersection technology.
Other contract and project approvals reported by the mayor included a memorandum of understanding with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to split costs to resurface the Charlotte and Curtis Ward Bike Trail, a contract with Bodine's Landscape Services for Veterans Memorial Park renovations (the project came in under budget), renewal of the Polaris Integrated Library System maintenance and support for the Auburn Public Library, purchase of a breathing air fill station for the Fire Department, and participation in the Lee County cooperative aerial project with Pictometry/EagleView.
On land-use items, Anders said the council denied pre-zoning for approximately 36.6 acres intended for a development district housing project near Cox Road. The council postponed the Coal Place phase 1 annexation (about 85 acres near Society Hill Road east of Nash Creek Drive) until the Jan. 6 meeting.
A commercial entertainment use for a tattoo shop at 178 North Donahue Drive was approved with an amendment limiting operating hours to 9 p.m.; the mayor reported the council vote was 5-3. For most other approvals the mayor's minutes did not list individual vote tallies in the transcript.
The council approved several residential developments and an industrial expansion listed on the agenda: performance residential developments at 726 Harper Avenue and 732 Mercer Circle, a 10-unit multi-unit development on Judd Avenue (phase 2 at 538 Richland Road), and a conditional-use expansion of an industrial facility identified in the agenda as "2 A USA" adding about 39,000 square feet.
The mayor also announced appointments: Shannon Walden was reappointed to a second full term on the Cemetery Advisory Board, one seat on that board remains open, and Jay Lockhart will begin a six-year term on the Water Works Board in January after Bernard Hill declined to seek another full term.
The mayor concluded his minutes with community notes, thanking public safety staff and about 30 volunteers for a toy drive expected to provide toys for nearly 500 children. The council is scheduled to take up postponed items at its first meeting in January 2026.
Votes at a glance
- Tattoo shop, 178 N. Donahue Dr.: approved with hours limited to 9 p.m. (vote reported 5-3). - Pre-zoning, ~36.6 acres (west side of Cox Road south of 2384 Cox Road): denied (tally not specified). - Coal Place phase 1 annexation (~85 acres): postponed to Jan. 6, 2026 (tally not specified). - Other agenda approvals (contracts, developments, equipment purchases): approved (individual tallies not specified in the mayor's minutes).
