Northport Mayor Announces Town Hall With University Beach Developer

Mayor Dale Phillips has arranged for a public town hall with the lead developer of University Beach, the $350 million lagoon resort soon to be under construction on Highway 82 in western Northport.

As the Thread reported this weekend, the project's lead developer took questions from a small crowd last Friday, discussing University Beach in greatest depth since it was announced two years ago.

As part of that Friday Q&A, Donahue committed to participating in a larger town hall to field and answer questions from residents.

On Monday, Northport Mayor Dale Phillips said the details of the town hall got hammered out over the weekend, and Donahue will appear before the public next month.

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On Facebook Monday, Phillips said he has finalized plans with Donahue to host the meeting at Northport City Hall on Tuesday, February 17th at 6 p.m.

Phillips said he will serve as moderator and read from submitted questions emailed in advance.

Phillips noted in the comments of his post that he is the only person who will see the questions emailed in - he pledged that Donahue would not see that list ahead of time.

The questions come as horizontal construction is expected to begin this week at the 77-acre property. Vertical construction on the 10-acre lagoon, water park, lazy river, events center, and luxury hotel may follow before the end of the year.

Since the size and scope of University Beach were first revealed in February 2024, Donahue and his development partners have mostly avoided any public discussion of the project. Elected officials and city staff have done the same, due in some cases to non-disclosure agreements and litigation.

Donahue's impromptu Q&A on Friday, after a meeting of the University Beach Cooperative Improvement District's Board of Directors, was the most residents have heard about the project in years.

One complaint, though, was that the meeting was held during work hours on a Friday. The town hall with Phillips seems to be a remedy to that and will be held at 6 p.m. on February 17th.

The mayor said a more official announcement will soon follow, with a place for citizens to submit their questions for Donahue.

For more coverage of University Beach's development and other news in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.