BY MICHELLE KEY
MICHELLE@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA —
During Tuesday night’s Opelika City Council meeting, the council members voted to approve a project development agreement with MAB American Management LLC.
According to the resolution, MAB American Management LLC has presented plans to develop 12.6 acres of land located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Veterans Parkway and U.S. Highway 280.
According to signage located on the property, the development will include a Publix Supermarket.
As part of the agreement the city of Opelika has agreed to provide financial incentives to the developer in the form of the economic development grants equal to 50% of the city sales and use tax collected from businesses within the project over a period of 15 years, not to exceed $2 million.
Of the 65,000-square-foot shopping center, nearly 49,000-square-feet will be occupied by the supermarket.
Lori Huguley, director of Economic Development, spoke of the project.
“We are excited about what this development is going to mean for our city,” Huguley said.
President of MAB American Management LLC, John Argo, was in attendance during the council meeting.
“I would like to commend the city council, and the mayor as well, for creating a business climate [in Opelika] that attracts investors,” Argo said. “We had the pleasure of being recruited by Lori and her team to be a part of the city of Opelika. We have the pleasure of working with one of our business clients, Publix Supermarkets. They are an excellent retail merchant.”
Argo praised Huguley for her “selling of Opelika,” and said that he hopes that his company will be a good neighbor to the community.