Avondale Estates held a public work session several weeks ago that included discussions of a projected mixed-use downtown development tentatively calling for retail, 200 apartments and 80 townhomes. Much to the dismay of a packed city hall, there were no representatives from developer Euramex Management, which has owned 15.77 acres in and around downtown since last year.
It is also anticipated Euramex will purchase four more downtown acres, currently owned by the city.
After seeing Euramex’s early drafts, the general consensus of city commissioners is that while “exciting,” these preliminary designs don’t include enough retail or green space, and have more of a suburban instead of an urban feel. Mayor Jonathan Elmore suggested recently it’s time for Euramex to hear from city residents.
“We did invite them [to the mid-August work session],” Elmore said. “It was sort of at the last minute and they said they weren’t ready to make a full presentation. But now it’s time for them to come and put their drawings in front of the public as soon as possible. I wouldn’t say it’s overdue, but people are getting anxious.”
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