Monday, December 17, 2007
Auburn Planning Commission approves more condos in downtown Auburn
A 100-unit condominium development including retail shops is one step closer to breaking ground in Auburn’s urban core.
September 14, 2007
A 100-unit condominium development including retail shops is one step closer to breaking ground in Auburn’s urban core.
The Auburn Planning Commission agreed Thursday to recommend a conditional use approval to the Auburn City Council for a multiple-family development and commercial and entertainment use at the present location of Tiger Rags, 138 S. Gay St.
The submitted site plan shows five levels: four levels above ground with one level of basement parking. There is expected to be one building with 100 residential units and 12,500 square feet of retail space where the old A&P used to be located.
The property is surrounded by Compass Bank, Burger King, the Auburn United Methodist Church and Auburn University offices. Construction is expected to begin in January 2008.
With more and more of the multi-story buildings covering the property from lot line to lot line, a commissioner suggests that the city’s planning staff needs to consider how to have developers devote space for public activities.
“We keep talking about the fact that we need to have some public spaces in our downtown,“ said planning commissioner Cheryl Cobb. “We are not seeing that happen.“
She suggested that the commission and staff start planning on how to get those public spaces so downtown isn’t solid, wall-to-wall four-story rows without any public space.
“I think it is critical for our downtown, the way it looks and the way it functions,“ Cobb said.
One of the city’s planning commissioners, John Cope, said he was tired of hearing about those needs.
“That is a council policy decision,“ Cope said. “Go to the place that has the authority over it. That is not here.
“Do it in a public forum. This is not the place, in my opinion,“ he said.
One of the two items tabled at the Aug. 9 meeting and considered in old business was denied.
The commissioners denied the city of Auburn’s request for rezoning of certain parcels in the University Service zone to the University Service-2. The location is described in packet material as South Debardeleben, south of East Glenn Avenue and north of East Thach Avenue, and the east side of Armstrong Avenue, south of East Thach Avenue and north of East Samford Avenue.
The other tabled item that involved a conditional use approval of a road service use for Carmella’s Italian Ice building and drive-thru located in the parking lot of the Bruno’s Shopping Center, 1530 East Glenn Ave., will be recommended to the city council.
Commissioners approved two annexations and a final plat approval for an 18-lot performance subdivision as part of their consent agenda.
They approved a recommendation to the city council for 40.35 acres as lot B-2A-1 in the Tommy Pace subdivision, for the Phelps annexation of 2.3 acres at 5089 Alabama Highway 147 North as well as the final plat approval of an 18-lot subdivision at Ogletree Road and Morgan Drive.
The Ward and Bayne annexation requests were moved from the consent agenda to be considered individually by members. They included lot 1, 12.67 acres, and lot 2, 20.31 acres, contiguous lots in the Bar W subdivision on Lee Road 395.
Members’ concerns included the lack of fire hydrants and inadequate turning radius for garbage pick-up and/or a school bus, but they did agree to make the recommendation to the city council for annexation.
Public hearings were held for and members agreed to recommend to the city council the rezoning of three acres at 435 North Dean Road; a conditional use to allow a duplex in a DDH zone at lot G-3, Greentree Estates and apartments in University Services at 130 South Debardeleben; and the removal of a PDD designation from 95.61 acres in Tuscany Village.
Commissioners agreed to a rehearing of restrictions agreed to in March by a lounge located at 2328 S. College St. The restrictions limited the business operation hours of the lounge to be from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday. No time restrictions were mentioned for Sunday hours at the March hearing.
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