MOBILE, Alabama ? A 600,000-square-foot development anchored by a new Costco near Hank Aaron Stadium needs the appropriate environmental permits before it can be constructed on a wetland.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama Department of Environmental Energy are examining an application from McGowin Properties that would impact 17.4 acres of wetland area and relocate approximately 1,462 feet of a stream.
Steve Tingle, a partner with McGowin Park LLC ? the developers of what is being described as a "regional" shopping mall featuring boutique stores along Satchel Paige Drive ? said while he "absolutely" believes the project will get its environmental approvals, it might take a while to do so.
The developers are going before the Mobile County Commissioners on Monday and the City Council Tuesday for approvals on separate development agreements needed to move the shopping center forward.
"That's what we're applying to the Corps for is to deal with the wetlands issues as well as environmental issues," Tingle said. "The application to the Corps is bringing in all the different agencies in to look at it. The permit has not been issued and will not be for some time."
According to the application filed on April 24 with the U.S. Department of Energy, the developers propose filling 13.6 acres of low-quality "scrub-shrub" wetland area for construction of buildings, a parking lot and out parcels; and convert a 2 acre forested wetland area to a herbaceous system that would be used as a secondary wetland treatment system to "polish" discharged water from a proposed detention pond.
Additionally, the developers propose to fill approximately 1,462 feet of degraded stream and relocate the system into an engineered box culvert system. The culvert is proposed to accommodate stormwater flows currently carried by a stream that leads toward Bolton Branch, which would have to be re-routed during the construction of the project.
"This box culvert system is proposed to accommodate stormwater flows currently carried by the stream and would also improve downstream water quality by substantially reducing the amount of silt that currently migrates towards Bolton Branch and Dog River, from the subject site, during heavy rainfalls," the Corps of Engineers report states.
The developers have also applied for state water quality certification through the federal Clean Water Act, which requires approval from ADEM.
According to the Corps, a decision on whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable environmental impact of the proposed development. Preliminary review of the application also shows that the development likely will not affect any endangered species, according to the Corps' report.
While the Corps is currently seeking public comments on the project, at least two local environmental groups haven't had a chance to review the plans.
But Casi Callaway, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper, said she believes the mall should be built somewhere else due to the struggles of pollution into the Dog River.
"The area is full of important wetlands that drain into Dog River and then Mobile Bay," Callaway said. "The silt that is consistently filling Dog River along with trash and other pollution is a great reason to avoid it and instead rebuild somewhere."
Environmental concerns arose during the 1996 construction of Hank Aaron Stadium after environmental groups challenged the city over the construction of the ball park on wetlands. The stadium's parking lot was reduced by 7.4 acres as a result, but the city won a federal lawsuit allowing an access road to be constructed through the wetlands.
While the shopping center is not a city project, the council and commissioners will vote on sales tax incentives that could generate millions of dollars in sales tax revenues to McGowin Properties.
As proposed, the developers of the project will get 1.4 cents of the city's 5-cent sales tax from new sales generated within the shopping center for 20 years. The county pledges 30 percent of its 1-cent sales tax.
There are questions on what type of retail stores will locate within the shopping center, including a possible Target store. If that is the case, the Target store at Bel Air Mall might have competition or relocate to McGowin Park.
A Bell Air Mall official did not return a call for comment. McGowin has yet to confirm or deny any potential tenants within the mall and the city has said the entire development requires a new warehouse retail store serving as an anchor.
Semoon Chang, formerly of the University of South Alabama and now an economist with Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies, said if half of the sales from within the mall come from stores transferred from elsewhere in the city, the revenue to Mobile will be substantially less.
"How successful the new project is to the community depends on how successful the shopping center is in attracting new expenditures without hurting existing sales in the community," Chang said.
Early projections are that the shopping center could generate up to $200 million in new sales.
"It all depends on how much of the $200 million sales will come from new or outside customers rather than transfer sales from other local stores," Chang said.
Source: http://blog.al.com/live/2013/07/environmental_assessment_of_ne.html
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