BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — A major development in north Auburn cleared some of its final regulatory hurdles after the Auburn City Council on Tuesday approved a series of annexations and zoning ordinances.
That project, known as The Foundry at North College, is a mixed-use development that will be located north of Hickory Dickory Park and west of the Publix located on E. University Drive.
While The Foundry itself still requires final approval, it is expected to feature hundreds of apartments and single-family homes, more than 200,000 square feet of retail and office space and an estimated 115 acres of green space.
Ward 3 Council Member Beth Witten, who introduced three amendments that were adopted, said she was hopeful the project would give north Auburn residents more shopping and recreational options.
“I’m in support of this project. I think this is a great opportunity for not only Auburn, but specifically the north side of Auburn,” Witten said. “It’s, in my opinion, a really important project with having one developer for this whole area, which is a big, big undertaking.”
To lay the groundwork for a broader approval of the entire project at a future meeting, council members voted to annex 127 total acres across two parcels and rezone 282 acres to become a planned unit development zoning district.
The project, which is likely the first major development to go through the city’s planned unit development process, then received three amendments to that rezoning ordinance.
Those amendments, which Witten introduced, were intended to give Jolly Development more options during the development process.
The first amendment introduced a broader range of permissible housing types, a daycare center and a carwash and detailing shop.
The second amendment allowed more lot size flexibility and the ability to build homes near the green space.
The third amendment banned short-term rental use in the development, addressed the dedication of the greenspace and other rights-of-way and enhanced architectural standards, among smaller regulations.
The council also approved an infrastructure development agreement with the developer to support several key infrastructure improvements.
Central to the agreement is an extension of Yarbrough Farms Boulevard, which will link North Donahue Drive and North College Street.
That extension is intended to help reduce strain on existing infrastructure and alleviate projected traffic increases associated with Plains High School and commercial growth along Shug Jordan Parkway.
Under the negotiated terms, the city and the developer will each cover 50 percent of the extension’s construction costs, which is anticipated to cost around $8 million according to Ward 3 Council Member Beth Witten.
The developer’s $4 million share will be paid after the roadwork is completed.
Additionally, the agreement includes a greenway stretching along Saugahatchee Creek from North College Street to the development’s western property line.
That space would make up 41 percent of the property and would feature walking trails and serve as a buffer to mitigate potential flooding.
In other news, the council addressed several other items of business:
- The council announced a vacancy on the Downtown Design Review Committee. That six-year term will begin on April 18 and end on April 17, 2032. The council will make that appointment at its April 7 meeting.
•The council announced three vacancies on the Historic Preservation Commission. Those three-year terms begin on April 21 and end on April 20, 2029. The council will make those appointments at its April 7 meeting. - The council approved a $33,570 contract with McSweeney Auto to purchase a Chevrolet Colorado truck for the Development Services Capital Projects Division.
- The council approved a $229,139 contract with Neel-Schaffer for a downtown drainage study and stormwater management model.
The council approved an $80,000 contract with Outdoor Concepts to purchase pine straw rolls. - The council granted rights-of-way for power distribution to the Duck Samford baseball concession stands to Alabama Power Company.
- The council accepted a right-of-way and other easements located at 1950 Martin Luther King Drive and Will Buechner Parkway from Bison Trust.
- The council approved the annexation of 3.5 acres located at 645 Hillandale Drive.
- The council approved the annexation of three acres located at 4439 Sandhill Road.
- The council approved a $2.64 million tax abatement for Shinhwa Auto USA. The company plans to hire 20 new employees over the next three years and invest $37 million.
