Council rejects rezoning for Miracle Road area after residents press for paving, plan consistency

The Auburn City Council voted on July 21 to decline a rezoning request that would have changed roughly 1.09 acres at 1750 Miracle Road from rural to Comprehensive Development District (CDD), following extended public comment and legal analysis.

Residents from Woodward Oaks and adjacent neighborhoods urged the council to preserve Miracle Road in its current character and asked for a clear commitment from the city to pave the dirt portion of the road. "Miracle Road is a very special place to us," said Susan Salata, a resident who lives near the corridor, and she asked the council to consider a comprehensive approach to the wave of nearby development. Jesse Shealy, who identified himself as a resident at 1962 Miracle Road, urged the council to keep the road open and eventually paved, saying, "We want Miracle Road not just paved from Donahue, but a commitment from the council that at some point you will have the road paved."

Developer representatives described the site's history and the project's intent to convert an existing development pattern into a CDD with a PUD overlay later in the process. Brett Basquin of the Foresight Group explained that the change was not intended to increase density beyond current limits but to allow unit- and use-related flexibility; he also described the project's parking approach of roughly one space per bedroom and added landscaping and islands to reduce oversized surface parking.

Staff and legal counsel warned that approving the requested CDD would deviate from the city's future land use map and jeopardize defensible zoning decisions. Planning staff noted the Planning Commission recommended denial (3–6) because the request would alter the family-definition (raising the number of 'unrelated' occupants allowed) and risk spot zoning. City legal counsel Paul Clark said Alabama appellate precedent requires rezoning decisions be guided by the comprehensive plan and that the council would need a compelling health, safety or welfare justification to depart from the future land use plan.

After hearing the public and staff, the council proceeded to roll call on the rezoning item and recorded multiple 'no' responses; the ordinance did not pass. The council did not approve the requested CDD change for 1750 Miracle Road.

What happens next: Because the Planning Commission recommended denial and the council declined the rezoning, the developer may revise the proposal or pursue alternate zoning approaches that align with the future land use plan. Residents who asked for a pavement commitment were told staff can examine options for paving and provide information, but the transcript shows no formal directive or funding decision to build the road.