Northport Lawmaker Airs Concerns About University Beach As Developers Seek State Tax Rebates

NORTHPORT, AL — A west Alabama legislator is speaking out as developers responsible for the controversial University Beach development in Northport are seeking new tax rebates from the state of Alabama.

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State Rep. Ron Bolton, a Republican whose House district includes the City of Northport, spoke to Patch on Sunday about a measure on Monday's City Council agenda calling for approval of a resolution to request that the Alabama Tourism Department grant University Beach status under the Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Act to receive certain state tax rebates.

Bolton is the first member of the Tuscaloosa County Legislative Delegation to speak publicly on University Beach and said the act was created by the legislature in 2023 for the purpose of expanding tourism in Alabama. The state tourism department is tasked with deciding if projects meet the criteria specified in the act.

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For University Beach to be eligible for these tax rebates under the Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Act, the City of Northport must adopt a resolution acknowledging support of the project and acknowledge that a portion of no less than 20% of the tax rebates will be consist of municipal sales and lodging taxes.

It's also worth noting that these tax rebates would not take effect until the development is built and operating.

The City of Northport says its support of the measure would allow for state tax rebates for qualified Tourism Destination Attractions — such as water parks, convention centers and other offerings — with a minimum private investment of $50 million if considered a tourism destination or $75 million if considered a "mega project."

"This application has not been discussed with me, although common courtesy would be to notify legislators of the intent to seek such status since the project lies within House District 61, which is my district," Bolton told Patch. "While I have a good relationship with the City Council, I’m like all Northport residents in that I was denied access to any information on the 'Beach' development from the beginning due to the Non-Disclosure Agreement between the Council and the developers."

Bolton conceded that while this is not necessarily unusual for development projects, this specific project, which expects to bring in $350 million in private investment, has been handled by the developers in "probably the poorest manner I’ve witnessed in years of dealing with such matters."

"I take specific issue with the arrogance the developers have demonstrated toward local citizens who’ve questioned certain aspects of the project," he added. "Resident opposition to new developments is common and developers deal with these matters all the time. Disrespecting residents because they disagree with your project is unnecessary and unprofessional."

ALSO READ: University Beach Improvement District Board Manager Has Long History Of Regulatory Violations

Along with how poorly developers and city officials have handled the concerns of Northport citizens, Bolton also spoke about the lack of transparency as it relates to the boards appointed to handle the day-to-day financial operations of the project.

As Patch previously reported, Texas developer Kent Donahue refused to take questions or listen to concerns from members of the public during a meeting of the University Beach Improvement District Board at TTL Inc.'s office in Tuscaloosa in June.

"This includes the conducting of meetings by the Capital Improvement District Board, like the most recent one which was conducted in somewhat of a clandestine manner," Bolton said. "I will be discussing this matter further with City Council members and with the tourism department in the coming days.”

The Northport City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 21, at Northport City Hall.

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