COLUMN: A Tale Of Two Tuscaloosa County Resorts

*This is an opinion column*

"Some rich men came and raped the land. Nobody caught 'em. Put up a bunch of ugly boxes and, Jesus, people bought 'em."

- The Eagles, "The Last Resort"

NORTHPORT, AL — Texas developer Kent Donahue was flushed and indignant when asked by Northport Planning & Zoning Commissioner Kevin Turner earlier this month if he would agree to tabling a rezoning request for the contentious University Beach project.

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Donahue responded with a flat "no," which forced the toothless advisory board into a 3-3 vote over a favorable recommendation for the developer's request — one that will no doubt be rubber-stamped by the City Council when it's considered in the coming weeks.

Donahue smirked at times and kept his back turned to a City Council chamber full of community members opposed to the project and didn't answer a single question from those in the audience unless it was asked by a member of the commission.

And when the dust settled, he had gotten his way and the request was passed on to a Northport City Council that he has over a contractual barrel.

But let's fast-forward to Thursday afternoon as I sat in a cramped little conference room in the Indian Hills Country Club.

Travel + Leisure Chief Operating Officer Geoff Richards was visibly nervous and at times grasped for words as he took question after pointed question from those concerned about the proposed Sports Illustrated resort on Rice Mine Road in Tuscaloosa.

As Patch reported on Thursday, officials representing the resort and District 3 Councilor Norman Crow held a public meeting to give Richards the chance to present changes recently made to the concept after it was poorly received during its 2023 public roll-out.

Despite the time crunch for the meeting, Richards didn't shy away from answering even the most mundane of questions and Crow should be commended for his balanced and cautious approach.

Indeed, what I saw on display Thursday stood in stark contrast to the public conversations around Northport's University Beach as a developer and elected official willingly stuck their chins out in an effort to involve the public as much as possible.

Restraint has been in short supply in Northport in recent years and this contrast got me thinking about the fundamental differences separating the two contentious resort projects.

The fact we're even fretting over resorts in Tuscaloosa County is a lot to process but I'd argue the best place to start is comparing the size and scope of the two projects as a way to separate genuine potential from fantasy and potential graft.

As Patch previously reported, the developers of the University Beach project, 76.2 acres north of McFarland Boulevard and east of Harper Road, claim the lagoon resort will bring in $350 million in outside investment — making it one of if not the largest economic development project for the area since Mercedes-Benz U.S. International opened in Vance.

Phase I of the Sports Illustrated resort in Tuscaloosa is much smaller — 19 acres on prime real estate — and its footprint has been scaled down by a third in its latest incarnation, according to Richards. Developers expect the project to cost between $150 million and $160 million.

The developers for the Sports Illustrated resort say they have already invested $40 million on the concept, which can be compared to the $5.4 million of mostly borrowed money spent on the University Beach property by the Texas-based developers who have already secured a $20 million commitment from Northport City Hall for infrastructure improvements.

But if those figures don't highlight which of the two developers seems more credible, maybe a comparison of incentives will.

Dear reader, did you know the developers of the Sports Illustrated resort have not asked for a dime in tax abatements to bring their business to Tuscaloosa?

It's quite generous of Travel + Leisure, especially considering the City of Northport agreed to give University Beach just north of $61 million in sales tax revenue generated by the resort over a 30-year term once it begins operating. But then again, this is the same Northport City Hall that gave tax breaks to a massive corporation like Dunkin' Donuts, so the novice desperation shouldn't be very surprising.

Still, it's clear which municipality is getting the better deal on their respective resort.

But those are far from the only contrasts worth mentioning.

Indeed, let's discuss the track records of the developers, beginning with the Sports Illustrated resort.

Travel + Leisure Chief Operating Officer Geoff Richards said his company operates 220 resorts in the U.S. — a fact that's easy to verify on your own — and said Tuscaloosa was identified as a potential target market after surveys were conducted to get feedback from Travel + Leisure's paying members.

To their credit, they actually had a methodology for choosing Tuscaloosa.

And Richards was also open about the poor communication on their part as the project was first introduced and seemed to use the meeting as a way to make up for it. What's more, Councilor Crow has held other public meetings about the project and has been accessible at every turn during the discussions.

Richards then said the firm has never had to pull out from a resort development without it being the right time and amicable for all involved.

Donahue, on the other hand, was met with loud jeers when he quickly breezed over his track record of projects earlier this month in Northport. But the loudest bursts from the crowd that night came when he mentioned his involvement with the Sapphire Bay development in Rowlett, Texas — a high-end residential project whose ongoing controversy he blamed on his former business partner.

Nevermind that Donahue's judgement could be brought into question for doing business with someone capable of causing so much controversy, but I digress.

Nevertheless, other than a large digital sign Donahue said his firm installed for the Dallas Cowboys practice facility, he came up well-short of citing 200+ successful resorts like Richards did on Thursday as he pitched a much more practical concept for a fraction of the cost and effort.

And never mind that multiple sources inside Northport City Hall told Patch on Thursday that the University Beach developers this week received a cease and desist letter from the University of Alabama for using the school's trademarked branding in the development's newest rendering video that was shown to the public for the first time on April 9.

It's worth noting here that the video is no longer available for viewing on the University Beach website.

The biggest difference in the two developers, though, at least to this reporter, can be found in their willingness to adjust to the public's desires.

While Donahue was visibly frustrated when asked by the Northport Planning and Zoning Commission if he would agree to table his rezoning request, Travel + Leisure has shown a willingness to listen to the public and elected officials in adjusting its overall concept.

The obvious difference here isn't good faith on behalf of developers, though, but a pragmatic approach by one elected body in Tuscaloosa and a wide-eyed, impulsive approach by another in Northport.

Indeed, the Tuscaloosa City Council has yet to give the Sports Illustrated resort the final green light to move forward, despite the much-smaller development being introduced several months before University Beach.

Meanwhile, officials in Northport City Hall know they've already signed away all of their options to an out-of-town developer and they seem helpless to find an off ramp. Political reputations are now saddled firmly to the project, with a single-issue election on the horizon this fall that, in the simplest terms, will be little more than a referendum on University Beach and the people who voted to enter the public-private partnership agreement.

To this reporter and lifelong Tuscaloosa County native, though, the most glaring contrast is the lack of public input for University Beach, especially when taking stock of how Tuscaloosa has handled the Sports Illustrated resort.

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I don't know Geoff Richards from Adam, but he and Councilor Crow earned my respect on Thursday for their willingness to meet with the public and attempt to answer the hard questions.

Such an empathic approach is a foreign concept inside Northport City Hall, especially when I recall how former City Council President and University Beach advocate Jeff Hogg summoned the police to quash the dissent of a bunch of sign-wielding old-timers, suburban moms and their kids protesting the proposed sale of the Northport Community Center.

Hogg has been gone for some time but the culture he fostered for almost two terms lingers on with those still in power who look down their noses at the people they serve, while knowing full-well that University Beach could very well be their political undoing.

It's truly fascinating to examine the contrasts of the two projects but as one friend put the situations in the simplest terms: it highlights what separates "professionals and amateurs."

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The views expressed in this column are his own and in no way a reflection of our parent company or sponsors. Contact him at ryan.phillips@patch.com