As demolition wraps up on the Center Court apartments, construction can begin on the new apartment and retail complex at the corner of Glenn Avenue and Wright Street.
The building, called The Parker, is proposed to be six stories and 75 feet high. Retail will be on the bottom floor, with student housing above.
The developers, CA Ventures, is headquartered in Chicago, and has developed properties all over the country, including several in the Southeast.
Ray Huff, owner of Auburn Realty, said residents living at his properties near The Parker were not in favor of the development.
"Every student I have living there is not happy about that big project going in next door," Huff said. "From an aesthetic point of view, we could see see sunlight downtown, and now we're not going to get any sunlight on that side of the property."
Anna Solomon, Keep Auburn Lovely member and facilitator in the Harrison School of Pharmacy, said people are concerned new developments in Auburn will cause the city to lose its small town charm.
"We think our town is a small town, it is a village, we have lots of people who live here though," Solomon said. "The character that people like is to have a small, charming thing, and we don't want to lose our views of Samford Hall, the church steeples, the things that made Auburn what it is today."
Huff said he interacts with students often because of his business, and wants to hear their opinions on development.
"I haven't had any of them look favorably on tearing downtown and putting student housing downtown," Huff said. "I want to know what [students] want."
Huff said he thinks the height limit downtown should be limited to 35 feet and there should be no new student housing downtown.
He also said he was concerned the streets would not be able to handle heavy car traffic.
"My office is directly next to the property on Wright Street," Huff said. "My property where my office is is a condominium property, so we've got 24 different owners. And every owner is concerned about visitors and illegal parking."
Huff said vacancies caused by overbuilding have been filled, but not by students, and he said having students and residents living in close proximity can create tension.
"I was actually told this by an athlete who moved in with us last spring ... he said, 'You just can't have athletes and students and non-students living together,he said it just doesn't work,'" Huff said. "'There's too much conflict created, he said, especially when you throw alcohol in the mix.'"
Solomon said she is worried the new large buildings won't stand the test of time.
"At what point are students going to say, 'I don't want to live in a dorm with all these students, I don't want to have three roommates,'" Solomon said.
Solomon also said parking is a potential issue at large "mega complexes."
She said the city's infrastructure might not be prepared to handle crises at large complexes, especially on busy weekends. She cited the fire at 160 Ross, where all of Auburn Fire Division and an Opelika Fire Department unit responded as an example of Auburn's small resources.
"What if [the fire at 160 Ross] had been when students were there?" Solomon said. "Is our city prepared?"
Forrest Cotten, director of city planning for the city of Auburn, said the comprehensive plan for the city, Comp 2030, states downtown should be more dense.
"Here, we believe where these projects are proposed and all the recent student housing development has been in the city's core," Cotten said. "And that's consistent with what our current plans recommend. So, in effect, we're following our plans."
Cotten said the number of beds to students will be more proportional in the long term because the University could keep growing past 25,000 students.
"In the short term, we may have more beds than are necessary, but over the long term, we can absorb some more," Cotten said.
Cotten said there are few vacancies throughout the city. He said the management at 160 Ross had "a heck of a time" finding a place to house displaced students.
Cotten said student apartments are allowed by right in two zoning districts, which amounts to less than one percent of the city's land mass.
He said the planning documents put forth by the city can be changed if there are issues, but the current Downtown Master Plan has been through several approval processes.
"So while we have had a lot of recent citizen input, it's very important for people to understand that none of these issues are new," Cotten said. "The 75 foot height requirement went into place in early 2010."
Cotten said people must put all of their issues in perspective, but he ultimately wants to serve the community.
"We're here to do what the community wants," Cotten said.
Cotten said building height requirement has changed three times since he began working in Auburn, from 60-75 feet.
"Each one of those review processes were very deliberate, with a considerable amount of input," Cotten said. "So we didn't get to where we are today, from a regulatory standpoint, by accident or happenstance."
Cotten said redevelopment is necessary to keep Auburn growing. He said development provides an incentive for property owners to maintain their buildings.
"We're not a small town," Cotten said. "And there's no indication that we'll be a small town again."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
