By Gary Lloyd
JEFFERSON COUNTY — The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended that land just outside the Trussville corporate limits on Chalkville Mountain Road be rezoned for an age-restricted apartment building.
The Planning and Zoning Commission last Thursday recommended approximately 4.5 acres at 5841 Chalkville Mountain Road — just above the MedHelp building — be rezoned from agricultural to institutional for an apartment building for those ages 55 and older.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved of the move with contingencies and covenants. The contingencies are that there is approved road access from the city of Trussville, a letter from the Center Point Fire District certifying coverage of the development as proposed and approval of a preliminary drainage study by the Department of Roads and Transportation.
The five covenants are:
- A geotechnical study shall be submitted to the Department of Land Planning and Development Services determining the suitability of the site for the development
- The site plan and building facade plan to be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission
- All site lighting shall be directed downward
- Any freestanding signs shall be monument signs
- There shall be no more than 56 units
The Jefferson County Commission, however, will have the final say, and it’s tentatively scheduled to take up the matter at its Nov. 20 meeting. A meeting notice states that the land is owned by Charlotte Ann and Austin H. Bolton, and Charles Ramsey is named as the agent.
Trussville Mayor Gene Melton went to last week’s meeting. He said he voiced the city of Trussville’s “opposition to the rezoning as not the highest and best use.”
This isn’t the first time this 56-unit age-restricted housing development has come up for this land. In February 2013, the Jefferson County Commission voted to deny rezoning the land where Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc. wanted to develop a 56-unit multifamily property for people age 55 and older. Commissioners Joe Knight, George Bowman and Jimmie Stephens voted to deny rezoning, David Carrington against denying the request and Sandra Little Brown abstained. With that vote, the land remained agricultural.
Knight said at the time that the issues he had with the development included one of these developments not being done before in the Southeast, problems getting in and out of the property, no real plan to enforce the 55 and older provision, and the best use of the land being commercial.
Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc. Development Director Andrew Murray said in January 2013 that if the commission denied rezoning the land, then Herman & Kittle would take some time to re-evaluate the process before determining its next steps.
The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission had previously voted against rezoning the property from agricultural to regular apartment status, Melton said. The city’s concern with regular apartment status was that the complex would eventually allow residents younger than 55.
Austin Bolton, the land owner, said at a February 2013 Trussville City Council meeting that the land has been dormant for 12 years and has been vandalized in the past. He said the city of Trussville was making a mistake by opposing the rezoning request at the commission’s meeting. He called the land a “kudzu patch” and an “eyesore.”
The multifamily development would have been called Longleaf Bluff.
“Those age 55 and older often want to downsize from their house, decrease their maintenance time and effort, while still being able to live independently,” Murray said in January 2013. “Longleaf Bluff will be the only option in the area that specifically provides an independent living option exclusively for residents 55 and older.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.