The Mobile City Council is poised to give $2 million for a new warehouse park development along Rabbit Creek, after the developers, environmental advocates and the city came to an agreement to preserve wetlands on the property.

“When I think about what’s happening at the Port [of Mobile], the growth of the port, it can only be maximized or optimized if you have the support structure once the containers get here,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “What we’ve done, in listening to the constituents that are concerned about environmental protection, we’ve taken their concerns and made them part of the agreement.”

Previously, Mobile Baykeeper, City Councilmember Ben Reynolds and hundreds of city residents had been opposed to the warehouse park, which will be around five million square feet when completed, according to David Salinas with developer Scannell Properties. The park is intended to serve the Mobile Container Terminal.

The opposition came from the project’s impact on nearby wetlands along Rabbit Creek.

But, after tense negotiations, all sides came to a “handshake agreement,” Reynolds called it, earlier this week that provides some key conservation protections. The city council will now consider giving $2 million to the developer for roadway and infrastructure improvements on the site, which is along Todd Acres Drive and Rangeline Road.