Northport Residents Speak Out Against Two Proposed Parks

NORTHPORT, AL — The council chamber inside Northport City Hall was packed with residents Monday night who spoke out in opposition ahead of two proposed recreational projects that are currently in the works.

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During Monday night's regular meeting, the Council held public hearings regarding the property on McFarland Boulevard for the proposed aquatic center and regarding rezoning a property on Rose Boulevard for the proposed adventure sports park from heavy industrial to recreational.

Shirley Farms resident Richard Daniels was in attendance to present concerns about the water park on behalf of his neighbors, voicing worries primarily over traffic flow and the impact to residential property values.

"It is the view of our residents that the activities of such a park would disturb the peace of our pristine neighborhood," Daniels said during the meeting. "We understand there will not be a service road from the park to Harper Road. However, we believe traffic flow would significantly increase along Harper Road and the current infrastructure is unable to handle such an increase."

City Engineer Tera Tubbs said the master plan for the water park, which was approved in December, does not have an entrance on Harper Road for the property and ALDOT requires that the city conduct a traffic study.

Tubbs explained the city had received the preliminary results of the traffic study and officials are working to finalize them.

Hogg pointed out that the proposed water park has been discussed for over three years and then addressed the concerns over impacts to property values.

"Nationally, several studies have shown living near quality of life features can boost property values from 8% to 20%," he said.

He offered other examples of similar water parks from data collected by the National Association of Realtors. For instance, he mentioned parks in Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas that have seen nearby property values increase anywhere from 5% to 9% over the first year after the parks opened.

Another more local example mentioned by Hogg can be found in the recent upgrades to the water park in Cullman, which saw property values increase by 43% just two years after opening.

Following the public hearing on the water park, no action was taken by the council and talk moved to opposition regarding the adventure sports park on Rose Boulevard.

As Patch reported last week, residents who live on the outskirts of the property off of Rose Boulevard, such as the Flatwoods community, have expressed concerns not just for having to live next to a mountain biking park, but also relating to the city's fiscal responsibility to be proper stewards of Northport's tax dollars.

The 150-acre Rose Boulevard site, which the city purchased from the Black Warrior Solid Waste Authority for $700,000 in September 2021, connects to the western side of Kirk Patterson's property, along with butting up to several neighbors.

Patterson has been circulating a petition in opposition to the project and presented 59 signatures to the Council on Monday. He also pointed out how the property was purchased with the intention of being used as the site for the proposed water park.

"Y'all have a bunch of money invested in a piece of property you can't do nothing with," Patterson said. "This directly effects me and directly effects a lot of my neighbors."

Patterson went on to encourage the Council to table rezoning the property for a month and sit down with those impacted to work something out.

"But for y'all to randomly buy property and then figure out we can't use it and then we're just going to build something else on it," Patterson lamented. "The city doesn't need to spend more money. This is going to be a suck hole for taxpayer dollars. It will never fund itself. It's going to be money, money, money, money. Then it's going to turn into a waste land."

As was the case with the water park, Hogg explained that the adventure sports park had been in the works for quite some time, telling Patch following the meeting that the concept had been discussed well before the Rose Boulevard property was purchased.

Hogg then asked Patterson what the residents would prefer to see done regarding the project if the Council opted to approved the rezoning.

"If it's voted to be rezoned tonight, then I will take the action I need to take," Patterson said. "Between me and a few other neighbors, we will come up with the cash to buy that property back from the city and get you out of this financial hole."

Despite calls for the Council to table to rezoning, the Council approved the unanimously approved the rezoning.

As the opposition group got up to leave following the vote, Patterson could be heard saying "I'll see you in court, then."

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