Northport Rezones Property for University Beach Resort, Ignoring Committee & Constituents

A split Northport city council rezoned 76 acres for the development of the controversial University Beach lagoon resort on Monday, surprising no one but disappointing many as they ignored the recommendations of their Planning & Zoning Commission and a crowded room of angry constituents.

The 3-2 divide of the Northport Council was also pretty predictable - Woodrow Washington, Karl Wiggins and Christy Bobo voted in favor of the rezoning, while Jamie Dykes and Anwar Aiken voted against it.

At issue was a proposal to rezone the massive tract of land from Highway Commercial, called C-6 in Northport, to into what is known as a Special District - where the resort's developers would have near free reign to develop as many as 90 residential and commercial buildings on the property without having to seek new approvals from the city each time.

READ MORE: Additional Coverage of University Beach from the Thread

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As the Thread reported in April, the Commission heard the proposal last month and did not give it a favorable recommendation. Their trepidation was reported to the five-member city council, which votes on all rezoning requests regardless of their fate in P&Z meetings.

The council on Monday also heard from a long line of residents against the rezoning and, really, against University Beach as a whole - a small representation of the crowd that packed out City Hall to oppose the measure. Each speaker received thunderous applause as they asked the council to vote no or at least table the measure and think about it for a longer time.

"At the recent Planning and Zoning meeting, not a single member of the public spoke in favor of this project, and the Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to give a favorable recommendation to the city council," resident Tuffy Holland said during the public hearing. "The overwhelming opposition from your constituents should not be ignored. Development without community buy-in is a recipe for division, resentment, and failure."

The city council also watched an updated 6-minute video presentation from Kent Donahue, the project's lead developer, who made a series of optimistic estimates about the crowds and revenue University Beach will bring to Northport.

Donahue told the council the resort would generate one billion dollars in tax revenue in 30 years, with the city of Northport taking in more than $250 million in that time frame.

Just to paint a clear picture here, in their 2025 budget, Northport estimated they would take in less than $24 million in total sales tax revenue this fiscal year. Donahue suggested University Beach would generate more than $61 million for Northport in its first 10 years of operation, painting a rosy picture compared to the current cash flow.

He also suggested that the park would draw over 600,000 visitors in its first year and see that number grow over time - an estimate he said did not account for the city's soon-to-open River Run Park sports complex. Donahue claimed resort developers now expect a total that nears or exceeds a million visitors to University Beach each year.

He also said it would create more than 600 permanent jobs, which would make it a Top 20 employer in Tuscaloosa County, exceeding the local workforce of titans like Nucor Steel and Shelton State Community College. The city of Northport itself only employs about 300 people.

Donahue also outlined some of the promised features at University Beach: a 1,400 linear foot water park with "the biggest lazy river in the southeast," a 2000-person concert venue, a 30,000-square-foot conference center and much more.

Residents of Northport have long asked - and even sued - to see copies of purported studies judging the feasibility of the project, its impact on the environment, local traffic conditions and more. On Monday, city administrator Glenda Webb said staff has recently received updated studies from the developer, and councilwoman Jamie Dykes asked if the rezoning could be tabled for long enough for her and others to review those studies.

There was a procedural problem, though - Wiggins and Washington had already introduced and seconded a motion to approve the rezoning, not table it, and they declined the opportunity to rescind the first motion and entertain one to table the matter.

Instead, the rezoning went to a vote - Wiggins, Washington and Christy Bobo voted yes, and the nays came from Jamie Dykes and Anwar Aiken. The rezoning does come with some conditions, which Karl Wiggins wrote into the resolution. They chiefly cap the number of multi-family residential units the property can contain at 275 and prohibit several undesirable commercial uses, like self-storage units and "alternative financing" businesses.

With the rezoning approved and the special district created, developers will have more leeway to begin construction of the project in earnest.

For more coverage of the development as it continues, and of August municipal elections in Northport as voters decide who will represent them for the next four years, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.