County Requests Hold on University Beach Permits

The City of Northport is receiving more push back on its planned University Beach Resort development just off U.S. 82 West. This time it is the Tuscaloosa County Commission questioning the lack of information from the city concerning impacts by the facility on wetlands, adjacent waterways, endangered species and other environmental concerns.

Because that information is currently unavailable, the commission has requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) place a temporary hold on permits issued to the Texas based developers.

The request follows a public noticed published last month announcing the developers had petitioned USACE to discharge fill material into a nearby forested wetland and other nearby wetlands and streams.

That notice stated University Beach LLC had modified its construction plans to reduce impacts on those areas. However, the commission, at the behest of District 1 Commissioner Stan Acker, unanimously requested copies of various required impact studies. A request that has gone unfulfilled to this point.

The lack of public access to such documentation has sparked a lawsuit from some Northport residents seeking that information from the city.

At a recent council meeting two of the Texas developers and a California investor were selected on a 3-2 vote to be members of a cooperative improvement district. That district would act as a quasi-government function to oversee the property and its revenue.

District 4 and 5 council members Jamie Dykes and Anwar Aiken were the lone "no" votes against the district.

Cooperative districts are outlined in the Alabama Code. Creating a cooperative district gives local governments a way to form a smaller board that can work out the details of proposed projects, incentives and fees within the district.

These boards are still required to have their meetings open to the public, except when executive sessions can be legally called.