Plans for a skate park in the Auburn area were approved by the Auburn City Council Tuesday.
The park will be located on a four acre plot of land at 1901 East Glenn Avenue, near the new Samford intersection and the airport, said Greg Darden, authorized representative for Design Plaza LLC and development coordinator for Donald H. Allen LLC, who is overseeing the project.
The park will include a skating area of about one acre. The skating area will provide BMX ramps as well as traditional skateboarding equipment, Darden said.
The other three acres will be dedicated to a plaza. Restaurants, pro shops, and other venues for parents as well as skaters will be featured on the plaza.
Porter Properties is already working with Darden's company on the retail space for the plaza, Darden said.
If the company continues to find contractors for financing, and if plans continue to move forward smoothly, construction could begin as early as the beginning of 2010 and will be expected to be finished the same year or early 2011, Darden said.
"The community has been quietly asking for a skate park for a while now," Darden said.
Because of the proximity to both city borders, the skate park will benefit both the Auburn and Opelika communities, Darden said.
The skate park will cost approximately $1 million and is tentatively called East Alabama Skate Park, Darden said.
Businesses as well as students in Auburn have shown support of the plans.
"I think it's a really good idea," said Liz Cauthen, associate at Hastings Entertainment, also located on Glenn Avenue. "There are a couple skate parks that have shut down in the past 10 to 15 years, but I think it's a really good idea."
Plans for the skate park have excited some students as well.
"It's cool because campus won't let you skate anywhere, and Auburn won't let you skate anywhere, so you're relegated to this one little patch of concrete," said Trent Tisdale, a junior in history education at Auburn University who has been skateboarding for seven years.
"Most people just leave Auburn to skateboard," Tisdale said. "And (a new skate park facility) would mean not having to drive to Birmingham or Columbus to skate."
Continued support from both the Auburn and Opelika communities will help push the development of the skate park, Darden said.
"Kids need somewhere to go where they where won't get into trouble, and they can't skate on campus and I think that's ridiculous," Cauthen said. "I'm all for it."
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