The Tuscaloosa City Council reviewed Phase 1 plans to develop a Sports Illustrated Resort in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday.
The plans had been previously approved by the Riverfront Advisory Committee on Sept. 5 and unanimously approved by the Tuscaloosa Planning Commission on Sept. 16.
The resort will have 137 hotel rooms, 76 timeshare units and 66 condominium units, comprising a total of 279 units.
The resort, if approved, will be the prototype for a resort with hotel rooms, condos, and timeshares. Previous plans by Sports Illustrated Resorts to develop a similar resort in Ann Arbor, Michigan, failed.
The planned resort will have 18,000 square feet of retail within three single-story buildings, and 18,500 square feet of commercial buildings.
The retail area will be open to the public and will include a riverwalk along the Black Warrior River connecting to the Randall Family trailhead and a large open space adjacent to the commercial zone.
“We envision Tuscaloosa as the first in a network of upscale resorts connected by the powerful Sports Illustrated brand,” said Bryan Dixon, the regional vice president of resort operations for Travel + Leisure, the parent company of Sports Illustrated Resorts, during the city council meeting.
Spokesmen for the resort said at the meeting that it will be oriented toward families visiting Tuscaloosa on game days and that it currently plans to have at least one restaurant, a pool and a lobby bar.
City Council President pro tempore Kip Tyner pushed back on the idea of a high-rise hotel.
“It’s our river, and you only have one chance to get it right,” said Tyner. “I’ll just be honest, I don’t like a high-rise. I want to see the river.”
His statements garnered applause from the attendees.
Local residents voiced their opposition to the resort at the meeting.
“We believe the concept for this hotel doesn’t fit the site selected,” said Sally Reel, a civil engineer and Tuscaloosa resident. “We want this site developed. However, this site is close to schools, residential neighborhoods, and our scenic river. It is not an acceptable site for an entertainment district or resort that has the potential to become Margaritaville 2.0”
Tuscaloosa residents also criticized the design of the building, stating it did not align with the architecture of the city.
“The building design does not fit with the look of Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama, as claimed by the petitioner,” said Dominique Yancy, a Tuscaloosa resident. “There is nothing here of any limestone, there is nothing here that looks like Bryant-Denny.”
Yancy also questioned whether the new building would require more police officers from the Tuscaloosa Police Department and whether the traffic would increase ambulance response times.
“This may be in District 3, but this affects Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6,” Yancy said. “We are first when it comes to national championships, but do we really wanna be first when it comes to a concept that has yet to be tried with hotels, condos and timeshares?”
Phase 2 of the Sports Illustrated Resorts’ proposal in Tuscaloosa will be submitted to the city council in the future, although an exact date was not specified during the meeting.
