Isn’t there enough to do for fun in Mobile?
That’s one of the questions injected into the debate by Mobile city officials over whether the city council should allocate $1.25 million in direct economic incentives to lure Topgolf.
Read more: Top Wave in Mobile: $22 Million Project, 60 Attackers, 150 Jobs and $2.5 Million in Economic Incentives
The question was posed during Tuesday’s council meeting by Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who then said Topgolf — and its trendy brand of golf and entertainment — could be one answer.
“From time to time you hear some of your friends say, ‘There’s nothing to do in Mobile,'” Stimpson said. “Well, this is that kind of venue (to provide more entertainment).”
Other councilors admit to hearing the same statement and think Topgolf could be one way to resolve the concern.
“We need to provide opportunities for young families and professionals and I don’t believe we have anything like Top Golf in the city of Mobile,” said Councilman Cory Penn. “Where they are, it’s usually in larger cities. To get these opportunities sometimes, you have to introduce incentives.”
The seven-member council appears poised to approve the end of a project agreement when it meets next Tuesday. The deal, once approved, will allow Dallas-based Topgolf to build a $22 million entertainment venue on 9-1/2 acres where a multiplex movie theater is now abandoned at Interstate 65 and Government Street.
The vote on the council comes after the Mobile County Commission, in a 2-1 vote on Monday, approved its portion of the project deal, which also allocated $1.25 million to lure the company into Mobile. The only “no” vote was from Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, who said it was “inappropriate” to give economic incentives to retail and real estate projects.
The vote of the city council can be unanimous. It requires a supermajority of five votes to pass.
Top Golf Birmingham
Council members expressed support for the project and its potential regional appeal in talks with AL.com or in public comments on Tuesday. There is no other Topgolf location within 200 miles of Mobile. Birmingham and Huntsville are the only two cities in Alabama with a Topgolf location.
Huntsville and Birmingham city officials have paid no direct incentives for their Topgolf facilities. In cities across the US, it was a mixed bag whether incentives were needed to lure Topgolf. Wichita, Kansas, for example, allocated more than $10 million to support the bonds to help pay for a project that included a peak wave of about $25 million. But in Kansas City and Oklahoma City, no public incentives were needed to support new Topgolf locations.
Top golf venues are considered economic hotspots wherever they are, as they offer a popular golf driving range game with electronically tracked golf balls and automatically scored drives. Each facility is multi-level and includes air-conditioned battlefields – there will be 60 at the mobile site – and restaurants with chef-inspired menus and handcrafted cocktails, meeting rooms and more.
Still, some councilors expressed dissatisfaction with giving direct incentives to a retail outlet or entertainment complex that, while offering unique games, competes with other entertainment venues for discretionary spending.
Councilman Joel Daves said during Tuesday’s meeting that the city’s incentive does not create a situation where one company competes directly with another. He said he does not “compete the venue with our existing businesses”, calling Topgolf a “proven concept”.
Councilor William Carroll said Topgolf offers “tremendous entertainment value” that is different from a typical retail entity.
Officials are also praising the potential regional draw Topgolf will bring once it opens the mobile venue sometime in late 2023. Visitors from the Florida Panhandle and Coastal Mississippi are expected to be draws for Topgolf.
But according to councilors, residents of Mobile and Baldwin County will also flock to the site.
For council chairman CJ Small, the venue could be a way to thwart a “dead” downtown reputation when the city hosts a convention.
“With the arrival of Topgolf, we have places that conventioners can go when they’re done with their seminars,” says Small. “It’s time for Mobile to get money back from Mississippi and Florida. People go to Florida to play the lottery and Mississippi to play the casinos. I truly believe this will draw people not only from the Mobile area, but also from Mississippi and Florida.”
Some councilors, including Penn, have some questions about the pay scale for Topgolf’s employees. The company plans to add 150 jobs, many of which are part-time.
Ludgood said last week she was concerned that Topgolf officials would not share their pay scale with government officials until they voted on the incentives.
However, Penn said a Topgolf official assured him that part-time workers would be paid a $15-$17 hourly rate. That scale is slightly below the average part-time hourly wage in mobile of $18 per hour, according to the website Zip Recruiter.
Penn declined to say how he will vote on the incentive, but added that he wants to hear more about the benefits of Topgolf.
He said providing more entertainment is something city leaders can do for Mobilians.
“This is a great opportunity to do that,” Penn said. “What I am hearing from my constituents is that they would like to have Topgolf in the city of Mobile.”
Carroll said he wasn’t convinced there was a lack of entertainment options in Mobile.
First, Mobile hosts the largest annual festival in Alabama with its over two weeks of Mardi Gras. The annual carnival is marked with parades, balls and other festivities that mainly take place in the center of Mobile.
“We have a lot of great things to do here, and some we do with repetition,” said Carroll. “But name a city where you can be on the waterfront one weekend and the beach the next and a city where we have the largest Saenger theater in our proximity to the Gulf Coast?”
He added: “We have quite a bit to do here. We have an up and coming and prosperous Dauphin Street and nightlife and restaurants. It all depends on your mindset and what you want to do and how you do those things.”
Carroll added: “We all enjoy visiting other places, but there are things to do here that improve our quality of life. We could always use more, but we have something to do here in Mobile.”
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