Split Tuscaloosa Council Gives Final OK to $150 Million Sports Illustrated Resort

A divided Tuscaloosa City Council stuck to the votes they cast earlier this month and gave final approval for the $150 million resort that Sports Illustrated plans to bring to Rice Mine Road.

As the Thread reported when it happened, the matter could have been approved earlier this month with a unanimous vote after a public hearing, but Councilman Norman Crow and Councilwoman Raevan Howard opposed it.

Crow represents District 3, the north Tuscaloosa region where the resort is planned, and he said despite efforts by developers with Travel & Leisure to make residents happy with their plans, they had not done enough to win his blessing.

"In three community meetings, the public's concerns were presented to the developer, and I believe the development today is better because of public input from constituents and the cooperation of the developer," Crow said before the vote on June 10th. "Although there have been several changes to the proposed development, I still have several concerns on this and am unable to support this as presented. I believe a better plan can be developed with more time and input on this important property."

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The matter was back on the agenda Tuesday night and no longer required a unanimous vote. It passed along the same 5-2 lines, with Crow and Howard opposing.

Now the developers have the green light for a 19-acre project at the bend in Rice Mine Road between the closed Cypress Inn restaurant and the trailhead of the Northern Riverwalk.

Their development will include two six-story buildings containing 76 timeshare units and 75 "hotel-managed condominium units." There will also be a pair of two-story retail buildings with 12,000 square feet to lease, six pickleball courts, and other outdoor amenities.

That's a significant downscaling from their first proposals, which included a 137-key hotel and four additional multi-story buildings.

Lastly, the city tasks Travel & Leisure with constructing, at its own expense, an in-character extension of the Riverwalk, linking the trailhead at Randall Family Park to the eventually eight-lane Woolsey Finnell Bridge.

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Travel + Leisure said in previous meetings that they operate 220 resorts in North America, boasting more than 800,000 timeshare owners. When their resort in Tuscaloosa comes online, anyone in their resort network will be able to stay here, and local members will be able to travel to the company's other properties.

The planned resort is entirely separate from the $350 million University Beach project a few miles away in Northport.

For more coverage of both as they develop, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.