CONTRIBUTED BY DANIEL SCHMIDT FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN – Plans for a controversial commercial development in northwestern Auburn are now on ice after the Auburn City Council on Tuesday narrowly voted against rezoning the nearly 14-acre property.
A split council voted 5-4 against the proposal. Mayor Ron Anders and council members Sonny Moreman, Bob Parsons, Connie Fitch Taylor and Beth Witten voted against rezoning, while council members Tyler Adams, Max Coblentz, Tommy Dawson and Kelley Griswold voted in favor of it.
The denial came after an overwhelming show of force against the proposal by nearby residents concerned about smells from garbage dumpsters, increased traffic and general noise pollution, among other issues.
Had the proposed rezoning been approved, it would have paved the way for the development of Donna Crossing, a 13.7-acre strip mall that would have included a church, day care center, grocery store and gas station, among other businesses.
Before voting began, Witten, Ward 3’s council member, said she believed the development’s proximity and intensity could pose health, safety and welfare issues to the surrounding neighborhoods. She also bemoaned a lack of flexibility when making a decision about the proposed development’s future.
“We’ve had other situations in the past, which I know do not equate to this, but hearing the concerns of our residents, we have listened intently and responded appropriately to those concerns,” Whitten said. “I just want to say thank you to the residents for coming out, for being involved and engaged. And I hope that this council hears you like I have heard you.”
Planning for the development has been in the works for 15 years according to Tom Haley, the developer looking to develop the property. As discussions over its future ramped up in recent weeks, Haley said he felt that meetings with concerned homeowners who did not attend the meeting were productive.
“A lot of the people who live in that area have the right to ask questions, and we believe in that. The largest investment most people have is in their home. They have the right to have all those questions answered and we’ve been good at that for 40 years,” Haley said. “We feel like a lot of things have been resolved.”
Gene Elkins, whose house is directly behind the proposed loading dock, claimed the proposed development is without comparison within Auburn after reviewing the city’s geographic information systems website.
“What I found is that this proposal is unprecedented in scale and proximity being built directly abutting 13 single family homes. There are some very rare examples of small to minimal buffers in this city, but these residential developments were always done well after the commercial property was established,” Elkins said.
Nearby resident Jim Greene, an 84-year-old retiree, expressed concerns that the development would decrease the property values of nearby homes and that homeowners would have to live with the effects for years to come.
“If you vote to have a strip mall there, as far as you’re concerned, if it’s voted yes, then in one way it is over for you and all you have to do is look at the agenda and say, ‘What’s next?’” Greene said. “But it’s not over for us. It only begins.”
Rob Renfroe, who owns Renfroe’s Market and is invested in the development’s success, said he took the responsibility of opening a new location seriously.
“I’ve been working on the possibility of bringing a Renfroe’s Market to this development for some time. The opportunity to build a new store in Auburn, my home, is something I take seriously,” Renfroe said. “So I hope that Renfroe’s Market will be given the chance to become part of the Auburn community and we can bring a grocery store that the people in the surrounding neighborhoods, and my family personally, can be proud to shop at.”
The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approving of the rezoning request at its Jan. 9 meeting. It is currently unclear what will happen to the property moving forward.
In other news, the council addressed several other items of business:
- The council announced a vacancy on the Library Board. The council will make the appointment at its March 18 meeting. That unexpired term will begin immediately after the appointment and end on April 14, 2026.
- The council announced a vacancy on the Board of Education. The council will make the appointment at its April 15 meeting. That term will begin on June 1 and end on May 31, 2031.
- The council approved a retail liquor license for Spirit Heaven, which is located at 2352 Bent Creek Road, Suite A.
- The council approved a restaurant retail liquor license for Lost Pizza Co., which is located at 1940 East Samford Avenue, Suite 3.
- The council authorized temporary street closings and invocation of the entertainment district for the designation of special community events allowing alcohol consumption during 2025.
- The council approved a $74,969 contract with Stivers Ford Lincoln to purchase a 2025 Ford Transit Prisoner Transport Van. The Police Department will use that van to transport inmates from the Lee County Jail to scheduled court appearances at the Public Safety Building.
- The council accepted various public easements and the public right-of-way from Dilworth-Lowder Auburn at the High Grove subdivision. That development is located on the north side of Shell Toomer Parkway between Automotive Boulevard and Canary Drive.
- The council accepted a public drainage and utility easement from Flipping Burgers Auburn in the Starr and Eagle subdivision. That property is located at 1251 Opelika Road.
- The council accepted the public right-of-way from Elisie Vickerstaff Hutchinson and The Parmer Group at the Vickerstaff and Allen subdivision. Those properties are located at 328 and 336 W. Drake Ave.
- The council accepted various easements from The Annex at Cary Creek and Barclay-Auburn at the Pick Estates North subdivision. That property is located at 2860 E. University Drive.
- The council approved a road service use for All Washed Up. That detailing service is located at 1975 Mall Boulevard, Suite 205.
- The council approved a road service use for Christian Brothers Automotive. That automotive repair facility is located at 2860 East University Drive. That vote was originally postponed at the Jan. 23 council meeting.
- The council approved an industrial use for the sixth phase of the Shinhwa building. That manufacturing facility is located at 2555 W. Tech Lane.
- The council approved a nearly $2.7 million tax abatement for General Electric Company for its GE Aerospace operation located at 2400 Innovation Drive. The company is expected to hire ten new employees over the next two years and make a $35.3 million capital investment.
- The council approved an $874,243 contract with Nomad Global Communication Solutions to purchase a Nomad IC28As2 mobile command vehicle for the Public Safety Department. $750,000 of that cost is covered by a federal policing program.
- The council voted to vacate a portion of the right-of-way and a drainage and utility easement for a lot located in the Northgate Subdivision. The vote authorized Anders and City Manager Megan McGowen Crouch to execute a quitclaim deed relinquishing the property to Northgate Development.
