Mayor Woody Jacobs and City Building Director Rick Fulmer chat with architect Frank Fagg and Rumors owner Annette Harris before the planning commission meeting. / W.C. Mann
CULLMAN – It was high noon for Rumors Deli on Thursday, literally. At noon, the Cullman City Planning Commission met at city hall with a single item on its agenda: considering a revised site plan and conditional use request for the new location of Rumors Deli at 601 Fourth St. SW.
Less than two weeks ago, the longtime Cullman restaurant hit a snag over questions about access to its parking lot and proposed pick-up window.
Everything that went wrong at that first meeting went right the second time around. A “cross access” agreement between Rumors and Cullman Savings Bank, allowing both entities access to the private drive between their properties, had been too tentative and conditional for the commission’s approval. City Building, Planning, and Zoning Director Rick Fulmer and bank President John Riley worked out a proper form for the agreement.
Fulmer explained, “The original cross access agreement was revocable with a 30-day notice, and that’s not acceptable, because once they were operational, they’d need that (access). The new cross access agreement allows them (Rumors) to use that property as long as that restaurant operates.”
Rumors owner Annette Harris was pleased to have this hurdle behind her, saying, “I’m really happy! It’s a good day. We’re really excited, and we appreciate the board and everybody who had a part in it, John Riley, and everybody that took care of us. We appreciate y’all!”
Harris’ lease on the current location of Rumors in the Warehouse District is good through the end of December. She hopes to open her new location in early January 2018.
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