Councilman Dick Phelan: reads over documents during Tuesday’s Council meeting. He voted to approve the bond for a new commercial development, which will be located near I-85 off South College Street. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
The Auburn City Council voted Tuesday to approve a $20 million bond agreement with West Pace LLC. The agreement is a step toward the development of a new commercial “lifestyle center” of high-end retail stores, restaurants, car dealerships and other commercial establishments.
The site for the development is at exit 51 off I-85 at South College Street. The property also backs up to Shell Toomer Parkway.
The project is estimated to cost $15 million, and developers say the architecture will be comparative to The Summit shopping center in Birmingham and The Shoppes at East Chase in Montgomery.
“This will give the Auburn people an opportunity to spend our money in Auburn, keeping the money in Auburn,” said Hank Elliott, an Auburn resident.
The development will be called the West Pace Lifestyle Center.
The vote for the development passed 7-1, with Councilwoman Sheila Eckman voting no. Councilman Bob Norman was absent from the meeting.
“I’m not convinced that an upscale development has a car dealership in it,” Eckman said. “And, looking at demographics, I’m not convinced yet, maybe in time, but not yet, to attract the class of retailers at East Chase or at The Summit.”
Several residents of Shell Toomer Parkway attended the meeting with concerns over the future of their road.
Part of the city’s agreement with the developers is that they will conduct a traffic study to evaluate the need for the widening of roads surrounding the development to handle the increased traffic flow and make any necessary adjustments.
The Council also unanimously voted to place a four-way stop sign at Forsythia Court and Ogletree Road. A traffic study conducted earlier this year said the stop sign was not necessary, but residents of the area voiced their complaints to the Council and it voted to place one there anyway.
Mary Kean, a resident of the area, expressed her concern of the Council’s disregard for the traffic study.
“What is to stop you from putting a 4-way stop at every intersection?” Kean said.
The stop sign should be in within the month, according to City Manager Charles Duggan.
The Council denied a request by David Dawson to re-zone the property occupied by The Highlands, on Opelika Road, to a private club.
“A couple of months ago we said no to clubs, period,” Eckman said. “Then we came back and made a special dispensation for the Supper Club because of its historical status. We said when that sells then no more clubs, so in my mind we were saying that we don’t want clubs.”
However, the Council did unanimously approve the re-zoning of a property at 712 W. Magnolia Ave. to be used as parking garage for North Park Parking, the new parking garage that will allow students to rent parking spots near campus and residential halls.
“I just want to say that I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Eckman said.
