Northport Councilman Says $350 Million University Beach Resort Can’t Be Stopped

Northport's newest city councilman got a heaping helping of the city's politics Wednesday at a town hall meeting spent almost exclusively discussing the infamous $350 million University Beach resort project championed by his predecessor.

Councilman Anwar Aiken was appointed in April to serve out the remainder of the term vacated by former council President Jeff Hogg, who stunned the city when he resigned from office in March - but not before suspending the normal rules of order and pushing through a 4-1 vote to enter a public-private partnership with Texas developers on University Beach.

As a refresher, the once-proposed small town water park is long gone, and plans now call for a 77-acre resort featuring a water park built around a 12-acre "beach" lagoon.

A fully realized University Beach would also include around 64 single-family residences with a starting price point of $800,000 and higher prices for "beach"-front properties, plus two separate multi-story hotels and a slew of new-to-market boardwalk-style restaurant and retail options.

On Wednesday, Aiken hosted a town hall in the acoustically challenging gymnasium of the Northport Intermediary School, where he had the tough task of answering for a decision made before he was appointed to the council.

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To his credit, Aiken walked into the lion's den - or the Wildcats' - and did not refuse to answer a single question, and anyone who expected him to pull punches or tow the city line would have left disappointed.

Aiken, like the hundred or so constituents there for the town hall, is a vocal opponent of the University Beach project - or at least its location. He questioned why it was approved and did not jump to defend his fellow Northport officials.

He said the other members of the council and municipal staff are not going out of their way to help him understand the project and where things stand, and stopped just shy of calling Hogg a liar.

"I've gotten to the point where if [Hogg] has said something, as my momma said, I take that with a grain of salt," Aiken said.

And, to get it out of the way early, Aiken said he does not currently believe there is a way to pull the city out of the University Beach partnership without major legal liability.

He said both city attorney Ron Davis and sources outside Northport City Hall have examined the contract and told him there's no way out without getting sued by developers Kent Donahue and John Hughes of University Beach, LLC - a single-asset entity formed last year exclusively for this development.

Back in February, when Christie Bobo, Karl Wiggins, Woodrow Washington and President Hogg suspended normal rules and OK'd this partnership on the same night its scope was explained to a shocked public, they lost the ability to easily back out of it.

Councilwoman Jamie Dykes voted against the partnership and Aiken says she remains opposed to University Beach.

"I have asked, because I have gone back and looked at what happened in February and let's just call it what it was - it wasn't right. We're going to just be frank about it," Aiken said. "Was it legal? Yes, I've been told that it was legal by more than just our city attorney. Was it right? Absolutely not."

Now, Aiken said, his hands are tied - especially if he and Dykes can't sway one of the other council people to act on the widespread opposition to this plan.

"Here's the reality of the situation - legally I don't know what else I can do to stop this," Aiken said. "I honestly don't."

Aiken said he has spoken to Donahue about the project at least half a dozen times and all this outcry has failed to sway the Texas developer. He said even when he expressed his own direct opposition to the project, Donahue didn't bend.

"He reads our local newspapers, he knows every concern that was voiced in the last meeting, he knows every concern that's been voiced in the newspapers, and everything else," Aiken said. "Yesterday he and I had a very candid conversation [...] and I asked do you still think that this is a good idea, do you still want to go forward? And he said yes."

One thing made clear Wednesday is that the passage of time and Aiken's town hall have not cooled temperatures on this subject.

Questions and criticism came from community heavy-hitters including former councilman Bart Harper, who directly questioned if city attorney Ron Davis should be trusted.

ALDOT engineer David Kemp, who also serves on Northport's planning and zoning commission, said he felt that body was misled when they voted to recommend annexing the University Beach property into the city.

Retired homicide investigator Dale Phillips asked why it seemed Aiken knew little more about the state of the project than the citizens he was there to meet.

Danny Higdon, the Chief School Financial Officer for the Tuscaloosa County School System, asked why an alleged fleet of attorneys didn't leave a better off-ramp for the Northport Council to use if they needed to bail on this unprecedented project.

"That's a great question," Aiken said. "I do not know why they did not do that. I own a business, I do a lot of contracts, and my contracts are not written that way for obvious reasons."

Ultimately, Aiken could do little more than take the heat and promise to get what answers he could for the ticked-off constituents he now represents.

"I will take copious notes from this," Aiken told the crowd. "I will have conversations with each and every [member of the council] on behalf of District 5 to get answers you are justly owed."

He vowed to ask the other council members and Donahue himself to attend a similar meeting and take questions from the public, but folks shouldn't hold their breath waiting for that to happen - resident Tuffy Holland sued the city over public records related to University Beach last month, and Aiken said he does not expect others to publicly address this issue while there is ongoing litigation related to it.

Stream Aiken's entire town hall beflow, and for more coverage of this issue as it continues to unfold, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.