Work on University Beach to begin soon, adventure park abandoned

Construction on a $350 million lagoon resort in Northport could begin as early as this month and development of an adventure park there has been delayed indefinitely, Mayor John Hinton said Tuesday.

His updates came during the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the Community panel, where he shared the stage with Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and Probate Judge Rob Robertson as they briefed a sold-out crowd on issues affecting their governments.

Asked by moderator Carl Jamison when parents can expect their kids to start playing on the tournament courts coming soon to Northport's River Run Park, Hinton took the opportunity to touch on all the recreational projects the city is working on, including some new amenities already available, some expected to open soon, and others whose timelines have been delayed.

“Northport has invested a lot in projects. While some have made headlines, many investments have not been widely publicized,” Hinton said. “Take for example the four community centers located in Northport: They are all in the design phase for improvements.“

This includes the once-condemned Northport Community Center, which now serves as a popular hub for area seniors to gather, eat and socialize.

Hinton touted A new fitness park is now complete on the Northport Levee Trailspoke about the three pickleball courts now open in the same area and reminded participants Ongoing partnership with DCH to bring new fitness park to Northport.

When people think of recreation in Northport, they usually mean on the three flagship projects once touted by former council chairman Jeff Hogg before his abrupt resignation in February – the Northport Shore Sports Complex on the banks of the Black Warrior River, the much-maligned lagoon resort of University Beachand an outdoor adventure park that has apparently been shelved.

“River Run Park is currently under construction and you can now see the nine golf courses taking shape,” Hinton said. “River Run Park is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025, with tournaments expected to begin in the spring of 2026.”

Hinton said a study estimated the sports complex would attract more than a million visitors a year.

“River Run Park is part of a 300-acre development called Northport Shore,” Hinton said.By working with a competitively selected private development partnerAn indoor sports facility will be built as well as a hotel with at least 100 keys on site. This facility and this part of the park will also be open in the fall of 2025.”

Hinton then discussed University Beach – the $350 million lagoon resort Hogg had originally pitched a small community water park slated to open in 2024.

That all changed when the city council waived normal rules to partner with Texas Developers on University Beach, the same night they revealed its vastly expanded scope.

Now, if all three proposed phases of the 77-acre project are completed, it will include a 10-acre water park and man-made lagoon, 64 single-family residences with a starting price of $800,000, two separate multi-story hotels and a host of new-to-the-market boardwalk-style restaurants and retail.

Hinton said the project is largely out of the city's control now, but work could begin soon.

“This project will proceed on the developer’s schedule,” Hinton said during the roundtable. “Staff has met with the developer for pre-design meetings and, at this time, the initial phase of University Beach is expected to open in 2026. In a recent discussion with the developer, he said he hopes construction will begin this month or next month.”

Although Hinton and the city council have been criticized for how the “water park” transformed overnight into something very different, he said the terms of the partnership are favorable for Northport.

“The city’s participation in University Beach has two main components: First, a reimbursement of infrastructure costs that will be dedicated to the city for roads, water, sewer and those kinds of things at 75 cents on the dollar spent by the developer,” Hinton said. “The second part is essentially a 50/50 revenue share of sales and lodging taxes for a number of years or until a cap is reached around $61 million. The vast majority of the risk is on the developer.”

Finally, Hinton told leaders gathered at the State of the Community event that the adventure park has been delayed indefinitely.

Little has been said about the park since Hogg first announced it would locate on 151 acres of land near Rose Boulevard, where the water park was originally planned to be located. a master plan was approved in December 2022.

“The last park is the adventure park, which is a smaller park with bike trails, zip lines and other amenities. It will be developed as funding becomes available,” Hinton said. “So it will take a little longer to develop.”

For more coverage of all these projects as they develop in Northport and more information on the state of the community, stay tuned to the Tuscaloosa thread.