Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
A spirit that is not afraid

Council votes to increase downtown height limit, considers Design Review Task Force

Anxious citizens awaiting the decision of the council filled the council chambers on Tuesday evening. The council voted 7-1 to raise the height in the downtown area from 65 feet to 75 feet, the original height in the city’s master plan

Amid much controversy, the City of Auburn voted on Tuesday night to raise the height ordinance in the downtown area, potentially paving the way for new developments.

Anxious citizens awaiting the decision of the council filled the council chambers on Tuesday evening. The council voted 7-1 to raise the height in the downtown area from 65 feet to 75 feet, the original height in the city’s master plan.

Some members of the community have been fighting this proposed change for years, while others have embraced it.

Mayor Bill Ham said that throughout the last several months and years of the height controversy, he has discerned that the main problem is not the height itself — it is the design of the buildings.

Before the meeting began, Ham proposed an idea to the council to commission a design task force to address growing concerns over the downtown redevelopment plans.

This Design Review Task Force will be comprised of three members of the Auburn community and two city staff members. This team would not have any legislative power but would be able to make recommendations to the Planning Commission based on its experience and insight in design and city planning.

Auburn residents David Hinson, Dan Bennett and Anna Dennis Solomon were suggested for appointment to the task force by Ham.

Hinson, a 21-year resident of Auburn with five generations of family in Lee County, held the position of head of Auburn University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture for 10 years and is a current professor at the University. He and his teams have been nationally recognized for design.

Bennett, another Alabama native and 18-year resident of Auburn, is dean emeritus at Auburn with a master's degree in architecture from Rice University and a bachelor's in architecture from Auburn. He currently sits on the city Planning Commission as the mayor's representative. He is a registered architect and has served on several architectural review boards.

Solomon, described by Ham as “a member with distinction from the citizen rank,” is employed by the Auburn University Pharmacy.

Though the mayor was hesitant to use the name Architectural Review Board, Ward 5 Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine did find hope in that aspect of the evening.

Tremaine has been calling for an architectural review board for several years and said that it would be a step in the right direction during a fall interview with The Plainsman. The mayor’s proposal, however, was not enough to change her mind on the height variance.

She said that the controversy was a perfect storm that resulted from an uncomfortable situation for all involved.

“The words I have heard have been spoken with passion,” she said. “I am seeing citizens who are upset with the direction that our city is taking. ... People feel like they are being ignored."

Susan Honeycutt, an outspoken opponent of the height ordinance, was appreciative of the compromise proposed by the mayor but was also unimpressed with its use as a replacement for concerns over the height variance.

Other citizens echoed their approval of the task force, which would function similar to a model program instituted in Mountain Brook.

Ward 7 Councilman Gene Dulaney also supported the resolution, citing the city of Mountain Brook's approach to design and development.

City Manager Jim Buston clarified to residents that there are many details to still be worked out but was enthusiastic about the proposal.

Buston will draft the mayor’s proposal, and the hope of the council is to have it on the agenda at the April 18 meeting.

"Downtown is the priority,” Ham said. “There is an increased commitment to the downtown area through city-scaping and street-scaping.”


Continue reading below...



Although every citizen who came forward seemed optimistic about the mayor’s proposal, some citizens continued to express their concerns over the height vote and asked for the council to again slow the process. The body had planned to vote on the change during its last meeting but delayed the vote to this week.

Ward 2 Councilman Ron Anders thanked the community for their communication and concern.

“I am glad we delayed the vote from two weeks ago until today,” Anders said to the chamber. “My family has very deep roots here.”

Tremaine was the only council member to vote no and was applauded by several citizens for her decision. She called for a public meeting open to both sides of the issue in order to allow the council more time to hear the arguments of the people.

"Without a doubt, this has been the most passionate, most emotional and toughest issue," Dulaney said of the debate over the ordinance.

Dulaney said that he understood the concerns for the downtown area and spent time weighing both sides carefully. He described the height change as a grand opportunity to improve the vitality of the city.


Share and discuss “Council votes to increase downtown height limit, considers Design Review Task Force” on social media.