Good evening, everyone.

The Tuscaloous City Council has now come to order.

We ask everyone, please stand for our prayer and then remain standing for our pledge of allegiance.

Let's bow our heads, please.

Dear God, bless our proceedings tonight.

Give us the wisdom to know what is just and the strength to do what is right.

Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Please be seated.

Approval of the minutes.

I will make a motion.

We approve the minutes.

Second.

Move and second to approve the minutes.

Voting.

Mr.

Eatman, yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Minutes stand approved.

Proclamation statements by Mayor and Council.

Certainly we want to welcome Councilor Henry here tonight for his first meeting and congratulations on being supporting.

Thank you.

Um I do want to take a point of personal privilege and remind everybody that the mayor's cup is this Saturday at 8 a.m.

Uh we have our highest registration.

And we would love you to join 2,000 other people who will be running and walking across our city and raising money for a good cause for our at-risk, uh academically at risk four-year-old students.

So for more information, you can contact Tuscaloosa 311, or you can go to Tuscaloosa Mayors Cup dot com.

Do we have any announcements by council members?

Mayor, I will not be at Jack's for several weeks, but I'm pretty easy to contact if people need.

Sounds good.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

The District 2 quarterly town hall will be held this Thursday at Central High School at 6 p.m.

Thank you, Ms.

Howard.

Any other council announcements?

I will not be at Jack Speaker.

Sounds good, Mr.

Bosse.

Do we have any agenda item comments by citizens?

No, sir.

Uh we have unfinished business clerk.

This will approve off premises retail beer and table wine licenses at Spix Market.

Move it option.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Ms.

Frank.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Good evening.

I have ABC application for Spix Market, LLC doing business as Pix Market.

They are applying for a retail beer and a retail table wine for off-premises only.

They are going to be located at 914 Queen City Avenue.

The hours of operation is Sunday, 12 p.m.

to 10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m.

to 10 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday, 8 a.m.

to 12 a.m.

Here's the aerial view.

This is the store front view.

We also have the store layout.

There are public safety concerns regarding this location, which involve limiting parking and the hours of operation staying open until 12 a.m.

from Thursday to Saturday.

All my reports have been filed with the city clerk.

TPD will give their report and then the applicant for questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Frank.

Director blankly.

You'll be reporting on behalf of Tuscaloosa Police Department.

Yes, sir.

Good afternoon, Mayor.

Council.

As stated before, uh TBD has public safety concerns on this location.

Um the biggest thing is our operations.

It's going to too late hours for that area as well as the parking spots.

Um the other thing is the loading and offloading of um when you have big semis coming in in trucks.

Um what it can do to traffic in that area.

That area is not made for that.

So the loud noise, the the parking um, and just that we're afraid that's gonna be a hot area for a lot of college students and other young adults at night trying to come in to what is a quiet neighborhood area.

So we do have concerns with that.

Um we have addressed that with the applicant, um, and then we also refer them to talk to their counselor, uh, counselor Busby as well.

I'll answer any questions that y'all might have.

Any questions of Director Blankley?

Thank you.

Thank you, Director.

Is the applicant here?

If you would please come forward and give your name and address my name's Adva Kawi Sali.

Address, please.

Uh the 914 Queen City Avenue.

Okay.

Please feel free to if you'd like to talk about your location.

Yeah, so it's gonna be a convenient store that's mainly focused on wine and um a lot of craft beer and champagne.

It's mainly a wine store.

Any questions for me?

Any questions from the city council of the applicant?

Uh no, I've I've met with him and his attorney.

I want Mr.

Solid, I want to thank you and your attorney.

I saw him back there.

Uh they've been very um forthcoming and meeting.

You can say we have virtually a neighborhood meeting here behind him, but very forthcoming and uh meeting with us and trying to work towards a solution.

So we very much appreciate Mr.

Acock, would you give your name and address?

Ken ACOC, 1107 23rd Avenue.

Uh Ms.

Buzz, we would appreciate you helping us get that set up and the um city staff to help us meet with the um original city association over the building because we try to work with them and address a lot of the issues that they had with the um with the store.

Frankly, a lot of the problems that they that they have, I I think are best described as they are opposed to any store in in the location, and uh it is zoned for a convenience store in that in that spot.

Um we have worked with them on hours of operation and are willing to do that some more if need be.

Um we've provided a letter uh that that uh went out to I believe all of the members, as well as uh Miss Franks, I think also distributed it to the council that kind of gave an idea of what were changes we're proposing, the how the business would be would look from the street, um, things like lighting and uh parking and changing the dumpsters and things like that to kind of make it fit into the neighborhood a little bit better.

Um Mr.

Salah really wants to work with the neighborhood and have this as more of a neighborhood store that the people living there will feel comfortable using and and uh and be his customer base.

So this the types of things you see in normal convenience stores are not what he's looking to do here.

There's not gonna be a whole lot of the um there's not gonna be any of the bright lights and the neon signs and all of that, all that sort of thing.

He's not having things like hats and clothes and um some junk that fills a lot of those kind of stores.

We're really looking at things like nice wine, champagne, uh craft beer.

We got a suggestion at our meeting uh for uh casseroles, which I thought was a very good suggestion, and we're looking at having freezer section that'll have those kinds of of um ready-made items, uh, but in general it's it's while falling under the classification classification of a convenience store, it's really looking to be more of a of a neighborhood market that specializes in wine craft beer.

Appreciate your position, sir.

How do you plan to handle deliveries being that there's not a lot of extra site?

I mean, with 18 wheelers normally with beer and soft drinks.

Yeah, so we can uh what we can do is we can have them park a little further from the location if it's too crowded, and they can roll in the product from a block away or even two blocks away.

Any other questions for the applicant or applicants represented?

You may there may be following the public hearing additional questions.

Sure.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

This is a public hearing.

If anyone wishes to address the city council, it's first come, first serve.

Uh each person addressing the city council will have five minutes to address the city council.

Okay, if you would please come forward and give your name and address.

Good evening.

I'm Cooper Shattuck of 1514 Deering Place, uh, Tuscaloosa, and I'm speaking on behalf of the original city association.

Uh as you know, the original city association is a voluntary membership organization that encompasses the city's historic districts.

We have over 300 members who are active, uh, but we represent the interest of all of those historic districts.

Uh and through an email to our membership, we said, you know, uh, rather than take up time with each person speaking for five minutes, I'll speak, and I'm not taking away anyone's right to do so, but hopefully can capture all of the feedback we've gotten uh so you'll sort of know where the residents are coming from.

Uh I wanted to start by thanking Ken Acock and his client for meeting with us.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Busby, for putting that together because it was a good dialogue.

And they were very forthright in their plans and and we were honest in our feedback.

Unfortunately, there's no practical way to deal with some of our concerns, which I'll get to.

And there's really no legal way based on the application as it's been filed to enforce those things, even if we could.

So as it has been addressed already, our key concerns are these.

Traffic and limited parking.

The overflow from that parking situation will impact the residential neighborhoods.

And it also is a congested, one of the only congested intersections in our area that would just be made worse.

We have an increased number of pedestrians who are using the sidewalks and taking advantage of the beauty of the work people have put in to the downtown area, and unfortunately this would have a negative impact on that.

We talked about delivery logistics, uh trash management, a convenience store generates a lot of cardboard boxes and a lot of trash from restocking, and that is going to go into dumpsters, which they've agreed to cover, but that doesn't change the sound made when they're dumped at sometimes ungodly hours.

There is no business that's open past six o'clock on that street.

And uh closing at six o'clock doesn't match his business plans, and again, there'd be no way to enforce it if he said tonight that that's what he would do.

The overall fit with a residential neighborhood of a convenience store that's selling primarily alcohol with a beer cave, tobacco and smoked products just really doesn't fit into what we have going in the historic districts downtown.

We believe the larger issue, the part of the struggle that he's had and we've had is with the downtown historic edge.

There's probably some work that we could all do to make that better defined as to what's allowed and what isn't, and a convenience store as it exists and as they are in business today is not quite what we thought of them in the days when supermarkets weren't open late.

Um they were convenient because the supermarkets were closed and we could get bread and milk, and that's just not the case anymore.

So uh we'd love to be involved in any kind of conversations to address some of those definitional issues.

Um the uh the the biggest problem we've we've tried to work out how best to enforce whatever we could work out on those things that we could work out, but unfortunately it would involve a private agreement with us, which is cumbersome to do with such a large organization.

Uh and the only way you can enforce it is is through the application process.

And what's been represented, I don't think that he's misrepresenting anything, but so far as his permit is concerned, if it's granted, um as long as he's within the bounds of that, he's okay, and there's not anything you can do about it.

And that's that's the problem we have.

Uh the restrictions he's said that he's willing to do aren't a part of the application.

And let's face it, nobody's buying cats rolls at midnight.

So I I'm speaking for the OCA, but I want you to see the hands of those who are members who are here opposed to the application.

And I certainly don't want to take anybody's right to speak, so I'll step down with 15 seconds left.

Thank you, Mr.

Saddy.

Is there anyone else that wishes to address their city council tonight?

Seeing none, we will close the public hearing.

Any questions from the city council?

I don't have a question there, but I want to say make a little statement.

Um I'm really proud of um Councillor Busby because I followed all this through his correspondence.

And the thing I loved about what he did, he didn't just immediately say no.

He said, let's let's talk to the applicant, let's talk to the residents, let's bring them all together.

And and um Councillor Busby, that's that's how it should be done.

And I'm I'm very proud of you and how you've handled all of this, and and um and getting to this point here.

I will say one thing, I am opposed to it because I know the applicant is a great person, and and Mr.

Acock, I've rarely voted against any of the your clients you brought up here, but I just think it's uh very detrimental to the net the adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Um the parking, as I've always said was a problem.

Um there's big delivery trucks, they're not gonna want to go two blocks down the road um uh to do that, and and again, there's um there's uh again I I think it has the possibility of creating a nuisance um to this uh to the neighborhood.

So for that reason, not anything personal, please.

Don't take it that way, but for that reason, um I and the traffic congestion too.

I I'm gonna I'm I cannot support this.

Thank you, Mr.

Tiner.

Any other council comments or questions?

Thank you for the kind words, Mr.

Tiner.

But temperance and tolerance has come late in life.

Any other council comments or questions?

Seeing none voting on the uh application, Mr.

Lanier.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Application fails.

I know that many people are here tonight for this particular application, and I think the council would agree with me.

We will pause for a couple of minutes unless you really want to stay for the rest of the meeting.

Um otherwise, this would be an appropriate time if you need to go do something else.

I learned from you on that.

I didn't allow us said I would have said no.

But you went through a lot.

Good to see you.

Take care.

Yes, everybody.

Thank you.

Hope to see me here soon.

That's the way that's one way to clear a room.

Yeah, ain't it does?

Oh, look at that.

My OCD that somebody didn't move, please.

I think it'd be gross.

Yeah, I just anybody.

Oh, we got one person in bed.

There they go.

I don't know where that came from.

Yeah, that's important to you.

Consent agenda, clerk.

This approves items A through D on the consent agenda.

Second.

We moved and second.

Voting Mr.

Evan.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Yes.

Consent agenda is adopted.

Public hearings, clerk.

This says the cost for demolition of the structure located at 3601 21st Street and authorizes the filing of a lien.

So move.

Second.

It's been moved and second, Mr.

Williams.

Thank you for clearing the house.

Makes it easier for me to speak.

Mr.

Council, this is for the condemnation of 2714 30.

Mr.

Williams, Mr.

This is not yet.

It is a public hearing, but we're just setting the cost of demolition and authorizing the lien for this one.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I was I was thinking this was the first.

When you announced it, I'm gonna sit back now.

No.

This shouldn't take long.

It shouldn't take long at all.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here wishing to speak for or against setting the cost of demolition?

Seeing none, voting, Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Cost of demolition's been set.

Clerk.

This will order demolition of the structure located at 2714 31st Avenue.

So move.

Second.

Move and second now, Mr.

Williams.

I'm telling you.

All right.

So this is for the condemnation of 2714 31st Avenue condemned January 30th, 2026.

This property has 45 housing code violations.

The owner has been contacted, is aware of this hearing.

The owner is aware that if it's condemned and demolished, the cost of demolition will be charged back to the owner.

Okay.

Any questions to Mr.

Williams?

Is the owner or the owner's representative of the property here tonight?

Seeing none, this is a public hearing.

Is anyone here wishing to speak for or against the demolition?

Seeing none, voting, Mr.

Eamon.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Demolition's ordered, clerks.

This orders demolition of the Northeast structure located at 2806 Short 18th Street.

So move.

Second.

Moving second, Mr.

Williams.

This is for the condemnation of 2806 short 18th Street.

Also known as 2818 19th Street, the Northeast Structure.

This was condemned on January 30th, 2026.

This property has 48 housing code violations.

The owner has been contacted as aware of this hearing.

The owner is also aware that if it's condemned and demolished, the cost of demolition will be charged back to the owner.

The owner is not here to represent.

Okay.

Any questions in Mr.

Williams?

Is there anyone here uh either owns or represents 2806 short 18th Street?

Seeing none, anyone here wish to speak for or against the demolition.

Seeing none, voting Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Demolition's ordered, Clerk.

This orders demolition of the Northwest structure located at 2808 Short Tech Short 18th Street.

Some of second.

Second.

Moved and second, Mr.

Williams.

This is for the condemnation of 2808 Short 18th Street, also known as 2818 19th Street, the Northwest Structure.

This was condemned on January 30th, 2026.

This property also has 48 housing code violations.

The owner has been contacted, is aware of this hearing.

The owner is aware that if it's condemned, demolish the cost of demolition will be charged back to the owner.

Once again, the owner is not here to represent.

Is there anyone here that either owns or represents this property?

Seeing none.

Is there anyone here wish to speak for or against the demolition?

Seeing none, voting, Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Demolition's ordered.

Thank you, Mr.

Williams.

Thank you.

Clerk.

This adopts zoning amendment number 33.

Move it up.

Second.

It's been moved and second.

Mr.

Ponds.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Good evening.

Beautiful Homes LLC is petitioning to rezone approximately 0.5 acres located at 2803 and 2805 Herman Avenue from SFR 3 to SFR 4.

This is in Council District 1.

So you can see the location of the property here.

Currently vacant.

So they are requesting to rezone this to SFR4 to be able to reconstruct two houses that were previously demolished in 2020.

So this is a shot of a picture showing how it looks today.

And this is from 2019.

So you can see there were two structures here on previously, and they want to go back with two structures.

They just can't make the uh lot size work in SFR3.

And so they're requesting to rezone to SFR4.

These are the renderings that they provided of what those might look like.

So the zoning request as well as the intended use does conform to the to the plan.

You can see that here on the future land use character map.

And this was unanimously recommended for approval at the March 2026 planning and zoning commission meeting.

I can answer any questions y'all might have.

Any questions, Mr.

Ponds?

Thank you, sir.

Is the uh applicant here?

Yes, sir.

If you would please give your name and address.

Uh Jaquil Robinson 467 Centerfield Drive.

Any questions?

I mean a question.

Well, I just want to say thank you, man.

Um doing a lot of work in in District 1.

Come to District 7.

And I um I I appreciate your you you and your company's willingness to invest in district one.

So I want to say thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Eaman and Council Howard and Banier as well.

Thank y'all.

And the homes are really pretty.

Thank you.

The product is beautiful, so we can't wait to see it develop.

That's why they're called beautiful homes.

Thank you.

All right.

Well, since uh why don't you go ahead and tell everybody at home name of your business real quick because I can tell you you're rocking and rolling, and we won't do that.

Yeah, if they needed to contact you, how would they do it?

Uh cell phone number 205-765-9892.

You can find me on Facebook, Jaquil Robinson.

I'm a local home builder and broker here in town.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here wishing to speak for against zoning amendment number 33?

Seeing none.

Voting, Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Zoning amendments adopted.

Good luck.

This adopts zoning amendment number 34.

Yeah.

Some of second.

Second.

It's been moved and second, Mr.

Ponds.

All right.

This is a rezoning request.

Uh Chris Ziegel Mayor petitions to rezone approximately 0.4 acres located at 4730 Harkey Lane from SFR1 to GC, and this is in Council District 3.

Here's the location of the property.

Um you can see it's very close to Rice Mine Road, close to that McDonald's.

Um Emanuel Baptist Church, I think is just to the south.

So you can see this portion of the property is in the county.

So they're annexing this portion of the property into the city, and they want to rezone to GC to match the surrounding existing property that's in the city.

Here's a location from Harky Lane.

And I just told you all of that.

Um the reason that they're doing this is they want to um build a vet clinic.

So they are consolidating the lot and um going to move forward with a vet clinic here.

So framework identifies this area as corridor commercial, so the zoning does conform to the plan as well as the intended use.

Um you can see that here in the future land use character map.

Um, and this was unanimously recommended for approval at the March 2026 Planning Commission meeting.

Any questions, Mr.

Ponds?

Thank you.

Is the applicant here?

Yes.

If you would please come forward and give your name and address the name one day.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor and Councilman.

My name is Peter Hill.

I am the architect on this project.

My address is uh 201 Broad Street Suite 401 Rome, Georgia, 30161.

Any questions?

My only question earlier was you're not gonna have like overnight uh outdoor no that there will be so this is an expansion of an existing business in your community, the medical center of Tuscaloosa Animal Medical Center.

It's gonna offer them a lot more surgical uh capacity and diagnostic.

They do have a little bit of indoor boarding, but no outdoor boarding.

Sounds good.

Good bet.

Thank you.

Well is there anyone here wishing to speak for or against seeing none, voting Mr.

Eatman.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, zoning amendment number 34 is adopted.

Good luck.

Thank you.

Resolution ordinance is not of a general nature of permanent operation, clerk.

This authorizes amendment number one to the professional services contract with Peregrine Technologies Incorporated.

So moved second moved and second, voting Mr.

Lanier.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, resolution is adopted, clerk.

This authorizes a contract for professional engineering with TTL Incorporated Move adoption moved and second by Mr.

Eatman.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, resolutions adopted, clerk.

This authorizes a professional engineering contract with Hazen and Sawyer, PC.

So move.

Second.

Move and second by Mr.

Lanier.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Resolution is adopted, Clerk.

This authorizes amendment number one to the minor public works contract with Tesco Incorporated.

Motion second.

Move and second by Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Resolution is adopted, Clerk.

This authorizes a minor public works contract with Chip Griffith Construction LLC.

Some of second.

Moved and second by Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Resolutions adopted, Clerk.

This will authorize a minor public works contract with RCS waterproofing LLC.

So move.

Second.

It's been moved and second by Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Resolutions adopted.

Clerk.

This authorizes the purchase of equipment supplies or services from trailer store plus LLC.

Move.

Second.

Moved and second by Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Resolutions adopted, Clerk.

This authorizes the purchase of equipment supplies or services for the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center.

Move adoption.

Second.

Move and second.

By Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Resolutions adopted.

Ordinance and resolutions of the general nature of permanent operation for introduction, Clerk.

This annexes approximately 0.7 acres located east of 12053, Grand Vou Grand View Drive to the corporate limits of the city.

Move an option.

Second.

Move and second.

Volume Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Call unanimous consent.

Second.

Move and second.

Voting Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Annexations adopted.

Clerk.

This amends exhibits A and B of section 1942 of the Code of Tuscaloosa.

So move.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Voting, Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Off unanimous consent.

Second.

Move and second.

Volume Mr.

Eatman.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Amended.

Exhibits or amended, Clerk.

This adds sections 2076 through 2100 of the Code of Tuscaloosa.

So move.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Voting Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Go here.

Call for unanimous consent.

The move.

Second.

Move and second.

Voting Mr.

Eden.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Sections are amended.

Auditing account.

This authorizes the payment of bills.

That gives bills.

Voting Mr.

Lanier.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Thank you.

Citizens wish to address or see counsel tonight.

Yes, sir.

If you would, please come forward and give your name and address.

I'm Jim Knox.

Um current president of the local 351 Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

My address is 1832 Carriage Heights.

Um Mayor, Council.

I always come and um and cordially invite you guys to our anniversary.

So this is our 79th anniversary.

I know you'll be there, so I'll be there.

Just want to give everybody the option to come um celebrate with us on like I said, hot dog sandburgers.

Real good time.

Um have some of our officials, AFL, CIO president, different people.

Um Daniel Flippo, which is our um district director.

So we have a full house now, so we want to cordially invite all you guys to come down and assist too.

We know everybody from every different walk of this town.

Works down at the place to date.

So um it's May 1st.

May 1st, which is next Friday.

So we'll look forward to seeing you guys if you are available.

What time what's over?

Um start at 5 30 in the morning to 5 30 that evening.

I'll pick up I'm gonna pick up Mr.

Lanier about 5 15 a.m.

We'll head down Christmas with your rhetoric.

Thank you guys, thank you, thank you, Mr.

Knox.

Good to see you, man.

Take care, man.

Anyone else wish to address city council tonight?

Seeing none, subject to exercise mayoral veto and ordinance of general nature of permanent operation on applicable departments here by order to otherwise implement council policy to stay in acting.

Move we adjourn.

Second, move and second to adjourn voting, Mr.

Eden.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.