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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor 

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City Council discussed recent changes to the original District 31 development and approved a resolution to give the mayor and the city administrator authority to act on behalf of the city in the matter during a work session and council meeting on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Due to their regularly scheduled meeting falling on Veterans Day, the Alabaster City Council met on Nov. 7. During the work session, the Council discussed changes to the city’s original agreement that were requested by the developer of District 31.

The developer requested that the city make changes to the original agreement, replace the master development plan, update certain dates in the initial project milestones and address other related items.

One of the tenants or “boxes” in the District 31 project pulled out which necessitated changes to the agreement and plan.

“All these other lease agreements from all the other boxes were tied to that box and so it changed things like the site plan a little bit and it changed things like some square footage overall,” Alabaster City Administrator Brian Binzer said.

Binzer shared that certain changes to the agreement were anticipated because of the box, including a reduction on the minimum square footage for restaurants by about 5,000 square feet and mechanics for getting financing approval such as private financing and bond financing.

Additionally, those organizing the project hope to go ahead and get bonds released and all the financing done in December and due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, they requested the city approve adjustments to the development agreement.

“If we can get through the payment certificate and the derived city revenue cap certificate in the next week, we can try to stay on schedule (and) try to get everything closed as fast as we can, which would be the end of December (or) early January,” said Keith Owens, managing partner of the developer of the project, Alumni Properties. “If it falls past Thanksgiving, it’s going to really push it out. We don’t want to do that.”

During the work session, several councilmembers expressed their frustration, including Councilmember Kerri Pate.

“We’re ready to roll this out to the public (and) I feel like every time you come to us, it’s like ‘We’ve got to get this done’ and… we hurry up what we’re doing and we meet our deadlines,” Pate said. “I’m so frustrated and we’re all so frustrated and I want clear answers. If we do this,  if we accept these amendments, when is it happening? When are these shops (coming?”

According to Owens, tenants coming to the District 31 development will make their own announcements and work with the city’s public relations manager like the recent one made by First Watch which will be coming to the Shoppes at District 31.

Councilmember Greg Farrell shared that he wants hard dates for the project.

“We couldn’t predict a tenant pulling out,” Owens said. “We responded as quick as we heard it, and we changed as fast as we could. Unfortunately, Greg, there’s just several things that change when that happens, and it’s a ripple effect that causes (changes) across the project. Everybody works every day as hard as they possibly can to get us started as fast as we possibly can. All I can tell you is that if we can get this done, we’re within 60 to 90 days of being started out there.”

Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield spoke to the Council during the work session and said that the administration team feels similar frustration on its side.

“This development is important to our city, it’s important to our citizens, but it has drug on for so long that it’s hard not to allow trust issues to enter the equation (and) it’s hard not to allow frustration to enter the equation,” Brakefield said. “We have to do our best to try to set those aside, as impossible as it feels for me, because I share your same concerns.”

City Attorney Jeff Brumlow spoke during the work session and shared that the city’s legal representation was not comfortable being rushed and desired adequate time to review the proposals before they were put before the Council for approval.

In preparation for the council meeting a resolution was drafted that, if approved, would give the city administrator and the mayor the authority to execute and deliver, on behalf of the city.

“That still allows us time to kind of pressure point some things that we want to make sure that we completely understand and push back and get good feedback,” Brakefield said.

The resolution was added the city council meeting’s agenda and was subsequently passed by all councilmembers who were present.

The resolution allows the city to carry forward with its end of the agreement in an expedient manner by allowing the mayor and city manager to execute the agreement at their discretion while also allowing for more time for legal counsel and feedback.