Northport Stamps Off On Contentious Greenbrier Office Park

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a hotly-debated rezoning of roughly 5 acres of property near a subdivision that will now become a development for professional and medical offices.

Click here to subscribe to our free Tuscaloosa Daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

The property at the center of the debate is located adjacent to and north of the Greenbriar subdivision in Northport. As city officials pointed out, the property — under the city's master plan in place when many of the residents purchased their homes — was zoned as a commercial property and potential future location for a mini-storage facility.

It will now be marketed under the Greenbrier Professional Office Park moniker.

Following pushback from residents as firms looked to develop the property, TTL and Ellis Architects sought to offer a more aesthetically-pleasing alternative on behalf of the developer, which also aimed at addressing concerns from residents over drainage and increased traffic.

The proposal passed Monday night calls for an office park consisting of five buildings with white brick facades, complimented by dark trim, according to Mike Ellis of Ellis Architects.

After meeting with the Greenbrier Homeowners Association, he then expressed confidence that all of their concerns had been heard and addressed in the final incarnation of the proposal.

"We are going to work as a good neighbor to satisfy their needs," he said.

TTL Chief Operating Officer Jason Walker was also in attendance and spoke to the Council, explaining that it is normal for the intended use of a property to evolve past its original plans, as was the case with the move away from proposed storage buildings to an office park concept.

Harris Cornett, a resident of the neighborhood and opponent of the new development, argued that traffic and drainage from the property would both present problems for the subdivision's occupants, not to mention impact the tree line near his home.

This came despite developers mentioning the incorporation of a drainage system leading to a retention pond on the property, while also acknowledging that some tree clearing would be required for the project.

"But most importantly, you’ll be violating your own long-range land use plan," Cornett said, referring to the city's previous master plan.

To the contrary, District 3 Councilman John Hinton said the rezoning ordinance that was passed Monday night was actually more restrictive than its previous zoning classification and went so far as to address expressed concerns about the property not having a direct access point to Watermelon Road — another point of contention for residents worried about traffic cutting through their neighborhood to access the new offices.

"Watermelon Road is basically a commercial corridor now," Hinton said. "Something will be built on this property and I hope it's not mini-storage buildings, because we have so many of those in the city."

A range of other requests and concerns from Greenbrier residents focused on delaying a Council vote on the rezoning until a proper traffic study could be conducted, in addition to the possibility of developers building "low value" residential properties if the office park project does not move forward. One speaker during the public hearing portion for the measure also voiced her preference for mini-storage buildings as opposed to medical and professional offices.

Despite the vocal opposition, the Council approved the rezoning unanimously, with no opposition voiced from elected officials.

City Engineer Tera Tubbs will now be tasked with developing a plan for traffic issues connected to the development once work on the project commences.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.