Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Historic Preservation Committee met last week and passed the certificate of appropriateness to the City of Prattville to continue plans for the $3.4 million outdoor venue in the former Hancock Whitney Bank area, behind the City Annex building.
The bid opening for this extensive project, Project Star, is May 23’rd, Prattville mayor’s executive assistant Lisa Byrd confirmed. Byrd is also the petitioner on behalf of the City of Prattville, representing Project Star.
Before any construction begins, the bid does have to be approved by the Prattville city council, which is routine for any city construction projects.
The architect of the project, Seawell McKee with McKee and associates was present to answer questions from the committee. McKee confirmed that the materials used for the roof and other aspects of the project will be of high quality, meaning they won’t rust or deteriorate over time, he confirmed.
The commission talked heavily on the color of bricks, the height of the building, the fonts of the signs and how the signs would be lit, and if the structure would match the general aesthetic of downtown Prattville and of the recently built and renovated property, The Mill.
“The brick that we are trying to mimic will be similar to the sign on Knob Hill,” Byrd said.
Byrd reiterated that this space will not be a park, but an outdoor venue. This venue will be equipped with a pavilion and stage area, multiple greenspaces which have a view of the stage, space for food trucks as well as an open floor plan that the plans refer to as a cabana.
“There’s more seating that’s going to be out here. This is providing a covered area so that there could be additional seating and space that can spill over into the green space from the bank building,” Byrd said.
Byrd confirmed within the renovations there will be public restrooms available, and within the old bank building the potential for additional shopping and the possibility for a restaurant, which could be accessed through the cabana portion of the venue.
However, there are no concrete plans as to what will be occupying the old bank building at this time. This venue was purchased by the City in March of 2022, and as it stands now will be city owned and operated.
The Committee voted unanimously in favor of the certificate of appropriateness. After getting confirmation that the project will not be the tallest building in Prattville and that the bricks surrounding any of the signage will not be painted.
While the name of the venue is not yet released, Project Star has the first steps to a groundbreaking underway.
