Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council refers WF Lakeview project assignment to committee after questions about incentives
Summary
Council referred an item that would assign city payment rights in a development agreement (originally authorizing up to $1.5 million in incentives) to the Economic Development and Tourism Committee after councilors pressed for clearer contract terms and developer presence.
The Birmingham City Council on Nov. 18 voted to refer to the Economic Development and Tourism Committee a proposed assignment and consent that would allow DG Fund 2 LLC to receive the city’s consent to an amended project agreement (originally authorizing up to $1,500,000 in incentives for a mixed-use project at 29th Street South and 7th Avenue South).
Councilors asked for more information about ownership changes, the trigger for incentive payments and how much of the authorized $1.5 million had been spent. Councilor Williams raised procedural concerns about approving a substitution without thorough committee review, saying, “I’m not voting for something I don’t understand.” Staff and the city attorney said the item before the council was limited to consent to an assignment and did not change the timing or amount of incentives authorized in the original agreement.
During the discussion staff stated that $218,000 had been expended under the incentive package to date and that the assignment aligns the incentive with the new owner rather than creating new incentives. Councilors requested the developer remain available to respond to questions; after deliberation the council voted to refer the matter for further review by the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
The referral preserves council oversight while giving the committee an opportunity to review contract redlines, payment history and whether additional council action is appropriate.
