[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6320096,"mediaKeyId","2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543","parentId",2359902,"title","Auburn council rejects rezoning for proposed Donahue–Farmville commercial node after hourlong public hearing","audioSeconds",5599,"startMs",1259000,"endMs",6858000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543&start=1259&end=6858","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543/thumbnail_1259000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6320096/Auburn/Lee-County/Alabama/Auburn-council-rejects-rezoning-for-proposed-DonahueFarmville-commercial-node-after-hourlong-public-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320096-4295e6b47d4408bfebe2ab1c87083f30/orig.mp4?Expires=1771077058&Signature=ULvlC9evdUPCqZzixxJTIJIAB403-VgH3MjLb0LaSEpSp5j0emCV-W7PE6DclQnvpzZZYjKDU0Y-QSQTRRzZrwC2CtB3gubcYsXHixdqvxfbx~IdH4lPcr9nakPxYHyrNzv3AeNW7TxpcAc0911dF3Xo6xfjsx2YFgpZRym~mxjXyRh3r8HPAomIHVzJhxoQKYLtjXQvlcrXr1sgltuA1qmXDoPY~unrVFBg8F4r19CM7eyemNgaVDRRr9SBdUINB0dLLS08vwm2z0uCLfk6Ay0qDYkASyujtHUTN-plwIhzkUt-kRB8PWJzzEssi93VGV0dxTm4O3rtBbrg6luSQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Auburn City, AL","date","2025-02-19T14:46:56Z","article","Auburn Mayor Anders and the City Council voted down a request to rezone about 13.74 acres at the southeast corner of North Donahue Drive and West Farmville Road from rural to Comprehensive Development District (CDD) after an extended public hearing and sustained public opposition.

Planning Director Justice told the council the parcel’s future land use designation is mixed-use, medium intensity and that staff recommended CDD coupled with a PDD overlay to limit by-right uses: “With a plan development district overlay, every use is conditional. There are no uses permitted by right.”

The rezoning would have cleared the way for an automotive-anchored commercial node the developer described as including a 30,000-square-foot grocery and up to roughly 112,800 square feet of commercial building area across the site; the developer said an initial grocery-driven phase might be about 40,000–45,000 square feet. Tom Haley, the developer, told the council the project had been in planning for years and that the applicant had increased the required buffer from the ordinance minimum of 15 feet to 30 feet on most sides.

Neighbors said that was not enough. Gene Elkins, who lives directly behind the planned loading area, told the council that low-frequency noise and truck deliveries would significantly affect abutting homeowners and argued for substantially greater separation: “Space by way of the buffer yard will be the most important tool for us to ensure the privacy and tranquility of the abutting homeowners.” Other residents raised similar objections: concerns about traffic at the intersection, possible odors and dumpster activity, the visual quality of future buildings, impacts on nearby Woodland Pines Elementary School and potential declines in property values.

Council members and city staff described a layered process of approvals. Planning staff noted the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its Jan. 9 meeting; staff and the city’s transportation group said intersection improvements for North Donahue and Farmville are being accelerated and would be designed in roughly a year and could take about a year to build, with officials estimating late summer 2027 for full completion of widening work if funding and right-of-way alignments proceed on schedule. City staff said any development agreement would require the developer to complete or fund required turn lanes or other improvements before certificates of occupancy could be issued.

Several speakers, including residents who said they had researched local examples, contrasted larger buffers on other commercial sites in Auburn and asked why the council could not require a larger setback or different uses. The developer and staff replied that many of the larger buffers elsewhere were the product of older zoning and other site constraints, and that under the city’s performance-zoning framework buffer widths are specified by land-use intensity tables in the zoning ordinance.

After public comment and Council discussion about traffic timing, buffering and architectural control (the city attorney explained the city has limited authority to impose generalized architectural requirements outside downtown or designated historic districts), the council held a roll-call vote on the rezoning ordinance. The motion to rezone to CDD failed and the council announced that related agenda items dependent on the rezoning would be removed from tonight’s agenda.

Why it matters: The decision preserves the site’s current rural zoning and delays a commercial node many neighbors had already been preparing for; it also leaves unresolved how the city will sequence traffic improvements, future rezoning applications and community input about design and buffering if the developer returns with a revised proposal.

Votes at a glance: The council held a roll-call vote on the rezoning ordinance. The presiding officer announced, “That motion fails,” after the roll call concluded; council members who spoke during the roll call included Anders (No). The council did not provide a published tally in the public record during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Auburn City Council Meeting Feb. 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Auburn Mayor Anders and the City Council voted down a request to rezone about 13.74 acres at the southeast corner of North Donahue Drive and West Farmville Road from rural to Comprehensive Development District (CDD) after an extended public hearing and sustained public opposition.","taxTitle","Auburn, Lee County, Alabama","taxId",4270,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6320085,"Council to reopen portal, contact incumbents for MPO Citizens Advisory Committee; city announces several board vacancies",371,122000,493000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543&start=122&end=493","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543/thumbnail_122000.jpg","/articles/6320085/Auburn/Lee-County/Alabama/Council-to-reopen-portal-contact-incumbents-for-MPO-Citizens-Advisory-Committee-city-announces-several-board-vacancies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320085-93a40fbbc37c373e095b4b3e1549a8ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771077058&Signature=RdjJGUAGtWYeQig5ssQuMUGE1Y2TOwbm1dBepfMMtcX1y6N3q-Yvlh6EO4NJHZXPQD4MyruL-~BiL4Jccpy53IrHMhFDwCBAgAMfJul3tn0q7xlIB-HLlyISEDsJJC~Wyabr2lz6zYdLQJjbJOIhT-XnjWbZsH21E84QwHUSqp9h9FRkgASkmKOgun2AYfMBMi3bTNjYcJXybueyTCVNTjy5OOVHb-7J8YnGL3~UvnNuvl3jh1A0dFLS-igSKfcolcEFB4LdADzgdED-Lq7RaEhK7f~mJAwS0MGYHCKJ0-E8caORsqmNrz0kxmHl3CiqnGPVIVViNl-QE3h65MI33Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the start of the public meeting the Auburn City Council agreed to reopen the application portal for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Citizens Advisory Committee and to contact incumbent members whose terms are ending.

Councilmember Witten said several incumbent members likely would accept another term if asked and that some may not be aware their terms have expired. The council agreed to reopen the portal the next day and to consider appointments at the March 4 meeting; staff also said they will contact incumbents directly.

City Manager communications included two separate board vacancy announcements: one vacancy on the Library Board for an unexpired term that ends April 14, 2026 (appointment to be made at the March 18 meeting), and one vacancy on the Board of Education for a term beginning June 1 and ending May 31, 2031 (appointment to be made at the April 15 meeting). The city manager noted these are separate appointments and provided timeline details for interview and finalist selection processes.

Why it matters: Reopening the portal and contacting incumbents preserves continuity for an advisory body that advises MPO-funded transportation planning; the announced board vacancies set schedules that residents and applicants can use to prepare applications and attend scheduled interviews and appointments.

Practical next steps: The portal will reopen the day after the meeting; residents seeking appointment information were directed to the city’s website and to the March 4 and March 18/April 15 meeting agendas for appointment actions.","The Auburn City Council agreed to reopen the application portal for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Citizens Advisory Committee after staff noted several incumbents may be unaware their terms expire; the city also announced an open library board seat and a forthcoming Board of Education appointment schedule.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6320090,"Auburn council approves several routine permits, GE tax abatement and police mobile command vehicle",495,6859000,7354000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543&start=6859&end=7354","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2359902-976954ffb3387d34c25dd7380976e543/thumbnail_6859000.jpg","/articles/6320090/Auburn/Lee-County/Alabama/Auburn-council-approves-several-routine-permits-GE-tax-abatement-and-police-mobile-command-vehicle","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320090-09e8846a6d9970a3266183a03cdf4530/orig.mp4?Expires=1771077058&Signature=b7eV9sCn1FOojwviYuO8LDEAUAKlm3XblwMyqzXKKh8RXZSUQlI-qsjMXDByqbiDjkxBmzbiMSamQZBeXdNYVn-Q41Qjrh~z~DUk3pGtlx-GFiGWqyQsKl13NTotiMko4~RR8ba9USw1l1yz4fJ-TP~im7P77YyBSiaDCRK5WBg2HrG-uJL5BjMdcAkesLGkfKS-FHixH62MZAP3Ud~aPB6XpUZ5UmvtN~XO7Ih4vinzFscnXU8-mD60kTjc8Qcz3lXqzR8xyMvAAlLLjCuzMlv1DSKx62H2BXehEYkT26c5m92-~8ZTwQ-dngMAbhS8fDRdOCKOBYYE6YA8zKVXnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Auburn City Council approved multiple agenda items Tuesday night, including several conditional-use permits, a tax abatement for GE Aerospace, and a purchase contract for a mobile command vehicle for public safety.

On the consent/resolutions calendar the council granted conditional-use approvals for a road-service car-detailing shop at 1975 Mall Boulevard Suite 205 and an automotive repair facility at 2860 East University Drive (the latter in the CDD with a PDD overlay after administrative subdivision adjustments). The council also approved a conditional-use industrial manufacturing use at 2555 West Tech Lane in the city’s industrial zone.

The council authorized a tax abatement for General Electric Company (doing business as GE Aerospace) for new equipment at 2400 Innovation Drive in Auburn Technology Park West. City staff reported the company anticipates hiring 10 new employees and investing approximately $35,300,000 over the next several years.

Council members also approved a contract with Nomad Global Communications Solutions for purchase of a Nomad Mobile Command Vehicle for the Police Department in the amount of $874,242.82. Public safety staff said the vehicle will be a regional asset used at large events, major incidents and search-and-rescue operations; it includes communications equipment, workspace and facilities to support remote incident command.

Finally, the council approved a vacation of a portion of right-of-way and drainage and utility easement in Northgate Subdivision Phase 2 and authorized a quitclaim deed to Northgate Development LLC. City staff confirmed required notifications and administrative subdivision adjustments for other conditional-use items on the agenda after prior postponements.

Votes at a glance: The council approved each listed item by voice vote or roll call as recorded during the meeting; all motions on these items carried with no recorded dissents during the meeting minutes excerpt. Specifics: conditional uses (items 10A1, 10A2, 10A4) — approved; GE tax abatement (item 10B) — approved; Nomad Mobile Command Vehicle purchase (item 10C) — approved; vacation of right-of-way (item 10D) — approved.

Why it matters: The GE abatement aligns with Auburn’s industrial recruitment goals; the command vehicle purchase adds a public-safety asset to support large events and emergency operations; the conditional-use approvals are site-specific land-use decisions affecting development activity around commercial corridors.","The council approved a slate of consent and resolution items including conditional use permits for two automotive-related operations and an industrial use, a tax abatement for GE Aerospace that anticipates a roughly $35.3 million investment and 10 new jobs, and purchase of a Nomad mobile command vehicle for the police department.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Auburn council rejects rezoning for proposed Donahue–Farmville commercial node after hourlong public hearing

Council to reopen portal, contact incumbents for MPO Citizens Advisory Committee; city announces several board vacancies

Auburn council approves several routine permits, GE tax abatement and police mobile command vehicle