Jesse Chambers
bham city council 11-22-16
The regular meeting of the Birmingham City Council, Nov. 22, 2016.
The Birmingham City Council took one small step forward today in approving infrastructure work at the site of the new Crossplex Retail Development Project in Five Points West, voting 8-0 to approve the building of a new access road,
However, the council also voted to delay approval of a much larger item — nearly $3.8 million of site work at the new development, work that must be completed soon so that construction can begin on time, according to the developer.
The council — at the urging of Councilor Marcus Lundy, chair of the budget and finance committee — voted 6-2 to delay approving a bid by Chilton Contractors in Clanton.
The measure is to be taken up next week, Nov. 29, after it is discussed at a meeting of Lundy’s committee on Monday, Nov. 28.
City Council President Johnathan Austin, Lundy and council members Kim Rafferty, Lashunda Scales, Valerie Abbott, and Sheila Tyson voted to delay the measure. Councilors William Parker and Jay Roberson voted against the delay.
The mayor and council also discussed this item at last week’s meeting before referring it back to committee, with some council members – including Lashunda Scales and Council President Pro Tem Steven Hoyt – raising questions about the type and quality of the hotel and other retail establishments that are planned for the development.
If construction does not begin as scheduled, Nesbitt said he will be unable to deliver buildings on time to the tenants that have signed on – including Starbucks, which plans to open at the site in May 2017.
“If we cannot keep those commitments, we risk losing those tenants,” Nesbitt said.
Nesbitt, a former banker, received approval from the council earlier this year to begin developing about 40 acres on Bessemer Road near the city-owned Crossplex for retail, offices, entertainment, apartments and other uses.
Hoyt said last week that the city should strive to have high-quality tenants at the Crossplex development, just as it did at the Uptown Entertainment District at the BJCC.
“Don’t lower your standards just because you’re coming west of I-65,” said Hoyt, who said residents in the area want quality places to eat and shop.
The new access road, Crossplex Boulevard, will be inside the development and is part of the city’s infrastructure package, according to City Engineer Andre Bittas. The road will be dedicated back to the city as a public road after construction, according to Bittas “The city will construct (the road), pave it and accept it back,” he said.
Bad check?
The council also delayed action for one more week on another controversial item, a request by Mayor William Bell’s administration to move $2.5 million into the general fund to cover a check written by the law department in September to settle a contractor’s lawsuit against the city.
A Jefferson County jury awarded local contractor Chris Woods $3.5 million in September 2015 in a civil suit he filed against the city after being terminated from some large projects, including the Negro League Museum, though the amount of the judgement was later reduced, according to various media outlets.
Austin and some other council members have said they were not informed that the legal department had issued the check. They have also complained that – given the size of the check and provisions of city code – five council members should have been asked to approve it.
A tiger by the trail
The council voted 8-0 to pay the city of Midfield up to $460,000 to build about 7,650 feet of sidewalk along High School Road in Midfield as part of the new CSX/Valley Creek Trail. The trail – funded in part by a federal Tiger grant – will be used by residents of both communities and is part of the larger Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System.
Troubled graveyard
The council also voted unanimously to approve a resolution encouraging citizens to attend the next in a series of public meetings concerning problems with maintenance and customer service at Zion Memorial Gardens Cemetery on Tarrant-Huffman Road. The meeting – to be hosted by Councilor William Parker – will take place at Brownville Heights Community Center, 9225 Airport Road, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 5:30 p.m.
