By Crystal McGough
Trussville — Ford Fitts and Carter Irmscher, of Streamline Development, spoke to the Trussville City Council during the pre-council workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 23, to request a sales tax revenue partnership for a proposed Starbucks development on Chalkville Mountain Road.
“It’s the vacant PNC Bank,” Fitts said. “We currently have it under contract right now … It’s for Starbucks, and I’m here to ask for some assistance from the city from a sales tax revenue perspective, splitting it.”
The location is the former BBVA bank which was acquired by PNC, though PNC never operated in the building.
Fitts suggested splitting the sales tax revenue into four parts, with two parts going to Streamline Development, one part going to Trussville City Schools, and one part going to the city of Trussville. The proposal was for this arrangement to last 20 years or until Streamline’s profit return breaks the $750,000 mark.
“I will say, we won’t do 20 years,” Mayor Buddy Choat said. “We generally structure it to 5-7 years depending on what we settle on.”
The proposed site of the new 2,500 square-foot Starbucks is 5990 Chalkville Mountain Road. The structure will include both inside dining and a double-lane drive thru.
“It’ll be the only drive-thru Starbucks on I-59 until you get to Gadsden,” Fitts said. “It’s a site market that Starbucks has wanted to get a deal done for quite some time.”
Fitts said Streamline Development expects to close on the property within the next couple weeks and is looking to break ground next year.
“I think the council would say they would consider it,” Choat said, “but until everything’s signed, sealed and delivered, then we’ll have to come back and go through this process.”
During the regular council meeting, Choat addressed citizen concerns regarding a proposed apartment complex development on Service Road.
“That property is not in the city; it is in the county,” he said. “I understand back in 1971, that property went before the planning commission to be rezoned. They turned it down, but the county commission overruled and zoned it, and now it qualifies for apartments. The developer has plans to build a total of 500 apartments – if you can imagine – on Service Road, which we’re totally not in agreement with. We see that being a disaster for the traffic and the people that live on that side of the interstate. So, we’ve had some discussions with the developer; we have some requirements. We control that road – we took that road over from the county a few years ago – and so we cannot deny them access, but we have to be happy with their plan.”
Choat said that the developer produced a traffic study, which the city of Trussville did not find sufficient, as it was done during the summer while schools were out.
“We’ve asked them to come back with a different plan and we’ll wait on that,” he said. “They build nice looking apartments; it’s just not a good fit for us, and in particular on Service Road. So, we’re working very diligently on that to make sure if it goes through, that we’re satisfied with the plan. But we’re not happy that it’s going on Service Road, I want to make that clear.
In other business, the council held a public hearing regarding a public nuisance located at 4720 Norrell Drive and unanimously approved Resolution 2022-41 to abate that nuisance.
The council also approved Ordinance 2022-17, amending parts of Ordinance Chapter 38 relating to storm water management bonds, in order to adjust those costs to reflect the current market.
Choat announced that all future meetings of the Trussville City Council will be held at the new City Hall, located at 113 N. Chalkville Road. This is the former location of the Board of Education.
The next meeting of the Trussville City Council will be Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, beginning at 6 p.m.
Crystal McGough can be contacted at mcgoughcrystal@gmail.com