Albany City Commission approves zoning for Academy Sports store, finalizes tax hike

ALBANY – The Albany City Commission on Tuesday greenlit the rezoning for a new Academy Sports + Outdoors store to locate at a site near the Albany Mall next to a coming Hilton hotel.

And there could be more to come, Albany businessman Milan Patel said.

The 55,000-square-foot sporting goods store is to be situated on the southeast portion of the mall footprint and represents a $12 million investment.

The commission unanimously granted the special-use zoning request by CP Albany Partner for the property that is zoned C-7, mixed-use planning development district.

“It’s one step of the process,” Patel said. “I think that we’ve got some work to get to the finish line.”

The dual-brand Hilton development, which will feature both traditional hotel rooms and a separately branded Hilton extended-stay property, will be five stories.

Patel, who is part of the group that purchased the now demolished Sears building where the hotel will be situated, said there are about 4 acres remaining of the overall property.

“Hopefully, we’ll have some projects tied to that in the future,” he said.

The project is a boost not just for the mall but the entire area, Patel said.

“That mall area, that mall zip code, should have a big attraction,” he said. “We have to reimagine that whole (mall) concept. When you reimagine it, you can do things like this.”

Academy Sports + Outdoors will keep local shoppers at home instead of making trips to cities like Dothan, Macon, Tallahassee and Valdosta that have one of the store’s chains in their community, he said.

In other business Tuesday, the commission:

— Approved a property tax millage rate that represents an increase from the previous year, upping the current 2024 fiscal year rate of 9.528 mills to 10.672 mills, a 12% increase. For taxpayers, the difference on $100,000 of taxed property is an increase of $46.32 and $44.01 for individuals who have the homestead tax exemption.

— Voted to change the way in which special-purpose local-option sales tax dollars in the future are distributed by requiring all entities that receive funds through the tax to receive approval prior to the money being distributed. The entities affected will include the Albany Civil Rights Institute, Albany Museum of Art, Chehaw Park & Zoo, Flint RiverQuarium and Thronateeska Heritage Center. The change will not affect money allocated to Chehaw through current and past SPLOST initiatives.

— Approved incorporating a 94-foot basketball court that is college regulation size into the design process for the new Carver Gym facility. The other option would have provided an 84-foot court.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]