A Sports Illustrated resort is one step closer to rising along the Black Warrior River after the Tuscaloosa City Council voted Tuesday to move its construction in District 3 forward — but not without pushback from some local residents.
Council members voted 5-2 to direct the city attorney to draft an ordinance approving the development plan on Rice Mine Road North. The ordinance will be up for a formal vote at next week’s meeting. City staff said a final decision could be delayed to late June, depending on how the city’s zoning procedures play out.
The resort, pitched as the first of its kind, would feature a six-story building with 151 units, 76 timeshare units, 75 hotel-managed condominiums, 12,000 square feet of retail, six pickleball courts and outdoor amenities.
But it’s not the resort’s first design. Developers with Sports Illustrated Resorts and Travel + Leisure Co. originally proposed a much larger footprint, including nine-story towers and five additional multi-story buildings.
After public pushback at an Oct. 15 City Council meeting, where residents raised concerns about traffic, building height, environmental impact, and the resort’s fit with the community, the council tabled the proposal.
In response, developers revised the plan. Four buildings were cut, and the remaining two were reduced in height.
“In three community meetings, the public’s concerns were presented to the developer, and I believe the development today is better because of public input,” said Norman Crow, who represents District 3. “Although there have been several changes, I still have concerns and am unable to support this as presented.”
Crow voted ‘no’, along with District 2 Councilwoman Raevan Howard.
Under the proposal, the developers will also be required to build a section of the Riverwalk at its own expense, stretching from Rice Mine Road to the U.S. Highway 82 overpass. Lighting will be included in those expenses, but the city will install its own cameras if needed.
Tuesday’s vote followed a public hearing where residents voiced various opinions.
Bobby Bragg, who lives near the proposed site, urged the council to move forward, discussing the scale of private investment and the inevitability of development.
“I’m probably one of the closest homeowners to the potential project,” he said. “Those two properties [that make up the resort site] have traded multiple times over the past few years; there’s $35 million in them already. Something’s going to be built there. And if someone’s putting $150 million into our town with zero tax incentives, they’ve earned the right to make the final call on what it looks like.”
He said that the developers made a good-faith effort to respond to community concerns.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I live in a beautiful neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean I love every house,” he said. “But I don’t tell my neighbors what to paint their homes either. It’s a great deal for the city.”
In contrast, resident Sally Reel raised several concerns about the resort’s fit in the community and the values it represents.
“This resort takes that prime river real estate and doesn’t offer anything for Tuscaloosans,” she said. “It partners with a brand that objectifies women. I’m sure you’ve all seen the Livvy Dunne video — she’s a college athlete in a swimsuit, promoting Sports Illustrated Resorts like it’s a spring break party. That’s the image we’re putting on the riverfront?”
She also criticized the timeshare model, questioned the project’s long-term impact on neighborhoods and said some residents fear speaking out.
“All District 3 citizens want is a development that benefits us and fits in with the neighborhoods and roads that surround it,” she said. “We are not a resort community. We live here. We work here. We go to school here. We can do better than this.”
Alabama graduate student Kevin Shaw did not take a position but asked about traffic, cyclist infrastructure and bird-safe design elements. “I’m an avid birder and a wildlife biologist… there are a billion birds estimated to die each year running into windows,” he said, asking the council to explore protective measures in the resort’s design.
