Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Opelika council approves development agreement amendments, zoning changes and infrastructure bids
Summary
At its April 21 meeting the Opelika City Council voted to approve amendments to project agreements with MAB American Management and Broad Metro, adopted ordinances including a Pretrial Diversion Program amendment and a Cedar Creek PUD change, and approved a North Park Drive bridge bid funded mainly by a state grant; public hearings on the development items drew no speakers.
The Opelika City Council on April 21 approved a pair of development-agreement amendments, adopted multiple ordinances and accepted a bridge bid, while several residents used public comment to press the council on cemetery protections, PFAS testing and concerns about potential data-center impacts.
Mayor Eddie Smith and city staff described the First Amendment to the Project Development Agreement with MAB American Management as a 12-month extension to allow associated housing development to proceed. The council opened the public hearing on the item and recorded no speakers; later the council voted to approve the amendment, and the chair said all voted aye.
The council also approved a second amendment to the Broad Metro project agreement to correct the commencement date for a 15-year incentive clock and to accommodate an expanded project. Staff told the council Broad Metro is adding six acres, expanding the par-three course and proposing an outdoor music venue called Chasing Aces that the city estimates could accommodate up to 1,000 spectators. Council members asked about noise mitigation and staff said the venue would be subject to the city's noise ordinances and is sited facing the interstate with an established tree buffer away from residential properties; the council approved the amendment by roll call and the chair said all voted aye.
On infrastructure, staff described a North Park Drive bridge and roadway approach project that relied primarily on an economic-development state grant of approximately $2 million (fund nearly exhausted). The bridge came in under the original bridge estimate; the bridge plus approach bids returned at just over $3 million compared with a previous estimate of about $4 million. The consent agenda, which included the bid, passed on a roll call of the council.
The council also conducted second readings and voted to amend Chapter 17, Article Five of the city code involving the Pretrial Diversion Program and to amend the development plan for the Cedar Creek PUD; both ordinances passed on roll call with 'Aye' votes. A proposed rezoning of 1.5 acres at 1502 Spring Drive from R5 to C3 was introduced for first reading.
During public comment, Tiffany Hillier of the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission urged the council to finalize a proposed ordinance to require setbacks or buffers around cemeteries, and residents raised concerns about water quality and whether future data-center development could be facilitated by the North Park Drive bridge. The transcript shows the council heard those comments but contains no indication the bridge approval was intended for any specific subsequent use.
The meeting record shows the votes on resolutions and ordinances were recorded as unanimous 'Aye' votes in the roll calls recorded in the transcript; detailed individual vote tallies beyond the roll-call 'Aye' responses are not provided in the transcript excerpt.
