Updated: Council To Consider Controversial 'Clock Corner' Purchase

Fairhope, Alabama

Update: The council voted 4-1 to approve the purchase (Brown, no).




MONDAY'S MEETING

During Monday's regular city council meeting, a resolution to partner with the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation to purchase a  26' X 60' (aprx.) piece of property of "great historical significance" on the northeast corner of Section Street and Fairhope Avenue will be considered.
Purchase resolution.

The city's share of $262K is to be taken from the municipal capital improvement fund.

Plans for the remaining private property (the old Post Net building) have not been mentioned; a boutique hotel could still be built there.

The other two adjacent buildings are currently vacant (former Cryoyoga and Andree's).

(The city already owns the courtyard area on the north side, along Section Street.)



Proposed purchase in red diagonals.


Plat

Comments

Anonymous said…
What an outlandish expenditure this would be. Why not move the clock to the adjacent courtyard?
Anonymous said…
Buying land is always a good investment around here.
Anonymous said…
Now would be a good time to correct the issue of the former cryoyga building that is built with a street front that extends in to the sidewalk. That is a narrow pinch point for foot traffic. There's only room for one person at a time to pass through there. If the City is going to spend money on improving this corner, helping the landowner correct that is a better investment in my opinion.

I don't understand the infatuation with the clock, but I do believe we need to create a public space in the downtown.
Anonymous said…
Just do it a no brainer.
Anonymous said…
Then put a statue of jack burrell there.
Let Beat the Heart of Town said…
The clock is, indeed, an emotional red herring--charming, but hardly the historically-freighted totem that some imagine it to be.

The parcel, however, is no such thing. Land is not fungible, and we (as most cities) have expended funds on far less worthy acquisitions. This corner, with the appurtenant lot, will preserve a uniquely valuable locus for civic life.

Open space is quickly vanishing around our municipal boundaries. Preserving such space in the heart of town today will be praised by generations tomorrow--discomfiting though the price tag may be.

Let's not allow previous unpopular Council decisions color this decision. As our 40th President said: "There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers."

Buy it.

Anonymous said…
When are they going to fix the roads and intersections.
Traffic congestion is horendous!
Anonymous said…
Kenneth, what is the frequency?
Anonymous said…
At Fairhope’s City Council Meeting, the evening of Monday, January 13, 2020, a little-publicized resolution will be considered to authorize the Mayor or the City Council President to coordinate with the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation to purchase the “Clock Corner” at Fairhope Avenue and Section Street. $525,000 of taxpayer money would be used to purchase a 26’ by 60’ property. This would be at a property value of $14,946,193 an acre, a good deal for the property owner, investor Matt Bowers of New Orleans, 10 North Section LLC. It does not look like strong negotiation was used to get to a fair price for the taxpayers.

The proposed resolution says that the “Clock Corner” has great historical significance, worthy of preservation and the enjoyment of all citizens, is a gathering place for events such as parades, Lighting of the Trees Celebration, New Year's Eve Celebration, and more.

Other than the clock there is little more than sidewalk paving material at “Clock Corner.” When Mr. Lawrence Curtis Tuck passed away in 1989, his family donated the clock to the City in his memory. Technically neither the clock nor the sidewalk is historic. Social media posts urging citizens to raise money to purchase the “Clock Corner” and popular sentiment perhaps have us thinking there is great historical significance, however, there is no statement of the history that could be memorialized by the markers or symbols that we might put there.

Purchasing the “Clock Corner” requires a substantial investment, but there has been no cost-benefit analysis or return on investment study that was performed to justify the investment. Further, there is no description of the agreement required for the City of Fairhope and the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation to work together as partners in the ownership of the “Clock Corner.”

It is recommended that preparations for this deal are incomplete and the proposed resolution should be tabled or voted down at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Publisher said…
We were told the city is to be sole owner of the property.
Anonymous said…
Unfortunately, our current City Council members function like robots. I've never seen a spirited debate between them and they just sit there gazing off into the dark, starry night. Whenever Jack Burrell speaks they just all nod their heads in agreement and in unison, never uttering a word. It's kind of amusing. They're so concerned about getting reelected that they won't speak up in opposition to this purchase or anything considered controversial for fear they'll lose their seat. I'm quite sure the council members know that spending $265k of taxpayers money to purchase a 20 x 60 piece of non-historical property with a clock that's even less historical isn't in the best interest of the city. However, they will just sit there like bumps on a log and approve it because that's what they do. The one council member who finally steps up, retrieves their spine from the closet and starts pushing back as a voice of reason will no doubt be reelected and could possibly be in line for the mayor's job one day.
Anonymous said…
Please save this historical piece of property from development. Future generations will thank you!
Anonymous said…
Forget the "historical" component. However one feels about that status is largely irrelevant. "Let Beat the Heart of Town" is spot on: this is a key public space.

Wasting tax dollars is worthy of our condemnation, but paying a premium for real estate is highly rational in rare circumstances. This is one of those rare circumstances.