West Pace to come in phases

Developers of West Pace Village off Interstate 85 at Exit 51 hope to build a project to make Auburn proud, but it might take a while.

Plans for the development include hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, car dealerships, a movie theater and a convention center, Auburn developer Tom Hayley said, displaying plans in his office.

It could be seven to 10 years before the entire project is finished, Hayley said.

The development will be built in phases. The first phase, which has already started, will be a group of six auto dealerships.

“Nissan poured their slab (this week), and Toyota will be the next one,” Hayley said. “We’re moving right along.”

Local Nissan, Toyota, Chevrolet and Cadillac dealerships have already committed, he said.

Hayley said he hopes to have the first phase finished within six months.

“If you look at how they’re separated out, it’s almost like a large box in a shopping center, off to the side,” he said. “...If you look at the landscape and ... attention given to the architecture … I think you’ll see this is a little bit different than ‘Car City.’”

The second phase will be a cluster of restaurants to the southwest of the auto dealerships.

“Those restaurants don’t have drive-throughs on them,” he said. “You’re talking about full-service restaurants.”

Next will be a long mall of retail stores ending at a movie theater. Then, hotels and more restaurants will be built on the east end of the property.

Hayley has filed suit against the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources demanding access to state-controlled Shell Toomer Parkway for the development. The case is pending in Montgomery Circuit Court.

The development is billed as an upscale shopping center.

“I’m hoping 80,000 people would prefer to shop at Auburn than go to EastChase or Atlanta or anywhere, especially with the price of gas,” Hayley said.

The Auburn City Council still has to approve the formation of a development district for the developers to issue bonds to build the project’s infrastructure.

The issue should come before the council before the end of August, Auburn Economic Development Director Phillip Dunlap said.

“I think the economy will be able to sustain it,” Dunlap said. “You’re sitting across the street from 24,000 students … I think it’s a chance for it to be successful.”

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