Northport City Council approves $350 million water park and resort development
Despite what may by now seem a familiar swelling tide of opposition, a once-modest water park plan in Northport was re-sold Monday into a resort several times the size and scope of the earlier proposal. The Northport City Council rode out storms, and voted 4-1 in favor of diving ahead, into what may become a $350 million project.
Near the end of a three-hour council meeting, of which the resort development was primary focus of frustration and fury from residents, the council voted to allow Mayor John Hinton to enter into negotiations with University Beach LLC, a Texas-based entity formed in 2023, for this project.
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Though a water park has been in discussion for years, what had been shared earlier was an 11-acre development that would fit in to a cozy-neighbor feeling for the 31,000-population city, across the Black Warrior River from Tuscaloosa.
What was presented Monday by the limited-liability corporation's representatives Kent Donahue and John Hughes — with details published three days before, as legally required, in a notice for The Tuscaloosa News — encompasses nearly 80 acres, to be constructed in three phases.
The 11-acre water park portion is planned to be built first, consisting of a "lazy river" (float-through attraction on inner-tube-like inflatables) and five slides, adjacent to a 12-acre lake-like beach lagoon, with a waterfall, floating obstacle course, paddleboard and kayaking rentals. Other add-on activities may include a beach club holding up to 10,000 square feet of indoor dining, an outdoor concert venue with 12,000 feet of seating, along with light shows, pickleball courts and more.
Looping around that lagoon would be 64 (estimated) single-family residences, priced beginning at $800,000, with that going up for those facing the water; two multi-story hotels, restaurant and other retail options. Hughes presented projections that such a facility could draw 440,000 annual visitors, and create hundreds of full- and part-time jobs.
Many saw the Friday legal notice in The Tuscaloosa News, and shared it with others personally or on social media, because Northport citizens were buzzing about the changes all weekend.
The Monday meeting was more packed than even those from last summer and fall, as the council proposed selling off the 70-year-old Northport Community Center and Heritage Park to condo developers.
A save-the-neighborhood green campaign created petitions, staged protests, and weathered social-media and personal clashes with the council, which includes Jeff Hogg, District 5 representative and president; Christy Bobo, District 1 representative and president pro tempore; Jamie Dykes, District 4; Woodrow Washington, District 2; and Karl Wiggins, District 3.
Protectors of the park won quietly late last year, as the council decided in mid-December, after six months of study, to let the proposal go away.
The council suffered another rough blow late in fall when the Kentuck Art Center announced disagreements with the city over terms for its annual festival. After Kentuck announced publicly it was seeking a new site for the 2024 Kentuck Festival of the Arts, the council drafted another proposal that it said would meet Kentuck's needs and concerns. But Kentuck and its board didn't take that up, and have decided to hold its 2024 festival in Tuscaloosa, with a site to be named soon. The festival has not only become an internationally-known and much-anticipated weekend event, built around folk art, but one of Northport's brightest stars for more than five decades.
One of many vocal opponents of the resort Monday, Northport resident Jack Roberts, connected dots between the 2023 struggles and what seems to him a haste to move forward with University Beach LLC.
"This whole affair has been shambolic and chaotic from the start," Roberts wrote in an email to The Tuscaloosa News. "Among our many concerns is that this city council has suffered a number of high-profile setbacks over the past few months. They are desperate for a political 'win' now.
"And it just feels like they looked around for the first empty field they could find, and they’re bound and determined to cram a water park into it for that win, and whether or not this location and project are actually long-term positives for Northport seem to be far distant concerns."
Some of the dozens outside the hall Monday who couldn't hear or see well left the building, but watched via the Facebook live stream. An adjacent room across from the hall chambers opened, with tables, chairs and two audio-video displays, Roughly 75 people filled that space, largely in muttering or shouted opposition.
Boos and expressions of disbelief ran throughout presentations, with cheers and applause greeting those who spoke out against the plan. During questions about how much research had been done on similar water resorts, the mention of the city's "aqua committee" brought derisive laughter. Former Northport councilman Bart Harper seemed the most popular politician (or ex-) present that night, turning to the crowd for "yea" or "nay." Though a few yeas came from the promoters, the nays clearly filled the room..
Concerns ranged around several issues, including:
The several-times-larger expansion in size and scope, which some called "classic bait-and-switch."
Potential property value declines, traffic, wildlife, flooding, noise and light pollution and other impacts from such a massive undertaking. While the LLC said that it had conducted studies, many present said they didn't know of or hadn't seen that information.
Questions of why citizens couldn't vote on such a major move, involving a 30-year partnership with developers whose track records may be questionable. Information was shared by one speaker on Donahue's involvement in a proposed resort outside Dallas, going by names Bayside and later Sapphire Bay. Though that planned 262-acre project was proposed in 2015, with Donahue Development partnering with the city of Rowell, along Lake Ray Hubbard, the water resort as of 2024 has yet to emerge. Donahue apparently left the development in 2018, and other teams stepped up with different plans, although Donahue may have become involved again.
Why the rush? Harper among others suggested any such major commitments should be postponed until 2025 Northport municipal government elections.
Hogg also urge passage of $60 million in incentives for the project, a move that's usually discussed first at a public hearing, then voted on at least two weeks later. Saying he wished to save the time and travel for the developers present, Hogg moved to suspend the rules and vote that night, on both the incentive package and the partnership.
The council also voted to annex into the city 54 acres of land off Harper Road and McFarland Boulevard, and passed an ordinance to transfer the original 11.73 acres, bought for more than $2 million, to University Beach LLC. That swath is along 82 adjacent to Big Lots, Tractor Supply Co. and Zaxby's. The developer has acquired the right to acquire another 85.61 acres.
Dykes remained the sole no vote.
The developer would be responsible for up to $20 million in infrastructure improvements, such as roads, parking and plumbing, for which the city would reimburse up to 75% of costs. University Beach would own and operate the facility, with the city getting half the sales and lodging taxes, over a 30-year contract. Ron Davis, Northport city attorney, said that if the project was not open within five years, Northport could reclaim the property.
Other council meeting and presentations from the University Beach LLC took up about the first 90 minutes. Afterward, lines of people came forward to speak. As the council felt some speakers were, against council advice, re-iterating questions and concerns others had asked, the three-minute speaking limit was later reduced to one minute each.
As one citizen noted, the only people speaking in favor of the project were the developers and the council.
Hogg and others spoke about why the relatively late notice of the expansion, due to signing NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and wishing to afford developers the chance to pitch the expanded plan on its own schedule. They made notes about citizens' questions, and attempted to answer some of them throughout the three-hour meeting.
Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Northport approved a massive $350 million resort development
