Trussville’s only gated and guarded community, Carrington, is finally getting the long promised second access road which could spur another major phase of development.
Rialto Development purchased a sizable portion of undeveloped lots in the subdivision in the fall of 2010 after the original developer turned the property back over to the lender. It wasn’t long before Rialto officials found out about the undelivered promise of the back entrance to the subdivision.
Officials were bombarded with questions and concerns when a train experienced brake problems and the train was stopped, blocking the Carrington entrance on Hwy 11. Trapped behind the train for two hours in near freezing temperatures were dozens of residents and a Trussville city school buses with several students on board. Residents had complained for years that first responder vehicles could be blocked from accessing the neighborhood in the event of a fire or medical emergency.
At the time, Trussville officials said the original developer had never delivered on the alternate entrance connecting the neighborhood to Black Jack Road
. To make matters worse, the original developer was gone and the roads were private. State law prevents cities from spending taxpayer money on private property.
The new developer is now preparing to fulfill the unkept promise of their predecessor.
Rialto marketing representative Debbie Babb hosted a ground breaking ceremony
and neighborhood festival last weekend to celebrate the new road.
“In meeting with homeowners there, they told me they were promised the road by the original developer,” Babb said. “They said they would not have moved there if the original developer had not promised to put in the back entrance.”
Company officials expect the access road to be complete by January, barring any weather delays. The new entrance will not have a guard, but will have key card controlled access.
Babb said that Rialto has been making improvements in the subdivision in preparation for the relaunch which kicked off last weekend.
So far, about 380 homes have been built in the Carrington Lakes portion of the subdivision, but the completed development could have more than 1500 homes.
“I think the market is picking up, particularly if you have a good product that’s priced well in a great location,” Babb said. “Trussville is a really great place to live. It has the schools. It has friendly people. It feels safe and secure.”
