Samford University’s plan for a $700 million development that includes a hotel, restaurants and 435 housing units, all to be built across Lakeshore Parkway from the main campus, will go to the Homewood City Council for a public hearing on Monday.

Samford’s planned 27-acre Creekside development, adjacent to Homewood High School, has raised concerns in Homewood about the impact of a 10-story hotel and shopping center development alongside Shades Creek and its popular walking trail.

After its public unveiling in March, the project met immediate public opposition. The original plan called for building much of the complex where college track and field facilities are now, and moving those to an area on Creekside East that is known as critical salamander habitat.

Samford University and its partner Landmark Development in April announced a revised plan that it said had “saved the salamanders,” offering to build its college track and soccer field at the city-owned Homewood Soccer Park.

That drew another round of public opposition, with Landmark backtracking to say there was no city-approved plan to move the college track and soccer fields to the city complex.

“We took that off the table,” Landmark CEO Robert Dunn said. “That is not a formal proposal; it was an idea.”

Homewood Mayor Alex Wyatt agreed that it’s off the table. “They are the city’s soccer fields,” he said. “That can’t be done without the city’s approval.”

Homewood council member Jalete Nelms, the city’s liaison to Samford, said she had been caught off guard.

“I was bombarded with calls,” Nelms said. “I was not even remotely aware of any of it.”

At the most recent public meetings on May 19 to discuss the proposal, Landmark unveiled the city’s price tag: it wants the city to kick in $26 million of ad valorem, lodging and sales tax back to the project for 20 years – all the tax revenue except the part that goes to Homewood schools.

“If the financial infrastructure support is not there, is this project still viable?” Homewood City Council member Nick Sims asked.

“I don’t believe so,” Dunn said.

While early opposition focused on the salamander habitat, recent opposition has focused on whether Homewood should approve rezoning and kick in $26 million for a project that bears eerie similarities to the mostly vacant Brookwood Mall on Lakeshore a mile away – which looks like a “zombie apocalypse,” said Homewood resident John Manzelli. He argued that Homewood would be funding a project that would compete with its successful hotel and restaurant district downtown.

“You are letting them compete against your own town and you’re going to consider giving them a tax abatement in order to fight your own hotels,” he said.

Mayor Wyatt said the city’s incentives to the project will be considered separately if the development plan is approved, but people need to know that’s part of the proposal.

“You can’t consider incentives until you know that there’s a plan that’s approved,” Wyatt said. “You have to know what you’re giving incentives for.”

The financial incentives are on an unprecedented scale, he said.

“They’re larger and over a longer period than Homewood’s ever considered for anything else,” Wyatt said.

Homewood council member Andrew Wolverton said he had heard nothing but opposition from the public.

“I have received hundreds of emails opposing it,” he said. “I have yet to hear from one person who is in favor.”

Council member Jennifer Andress said she anticipates that Monday’s public hearing on the plan at the city council meeting could last for several hours. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Council members have requested that people who signed petitions against the project designate spokespersons to address their concerns.