By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council heard comments from Trussville citizens about the proposed Glendale Farms at Carrington development on Tuesday, May 10.
Trussville City Schools (TCS) Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill said that the Glendale Farms development offers 21 acres of “free land designated for an elementary school.”
“That allows us to fast track our plans from 2019 forward in the pre-planning stages to go forward quicker with the elementary school,” Neill said. “I want to reiterate that since 2019 we’ve been looking for a place, and when the developers offered the land for the fourth elementary school, that could launch us into the planning stage and out of the pre-planning stage. I know there are a lot of different things to consider, but it’s amazing.”
Neill said this development with the school would solve the problem that TCS has had since 2019, which is the need for a fourth elementary school.
Paine Elementary School (PES) principal, Dr. Lisa Lothspeich, said she was aware of the considerations that go into the decision by the council but wanted to represent PES by saying they are overcrowded.
“We’re overcrowded at our school, our school was designed to hold 1,000 students; we’re at 1,301 right now,” Lothspeich said. “If we look at the trend of all the subdivisions, within two years, we’re going to be at 1,500 students. We can try and manage that as best we can, but it’s very challenging, we just want to make sure we’re providing our students with every single opportunity they deserve.”
Related Story: TCS discusses potential fourth elementary school
Trussville resident Heather Richards said her concern is not necessarily with the project, but with the time of the project.
“It is no secret that Highway 11 is very, very congested, and with the new construction that will be coming through I-59, the closure of Chalkville Moutain and closure of Deerfoot, all that traffic is going to have to funnel to Highway 11,” Richards said. “So having this construction on Highway 11 is just going to compound the problem. I just want the council to urge caution with this project.”
Related Story: Developers of Glendale Farms at Carrington discussed potential neighborhood design at city workshop
Ron Hill, current president of Carrington Lakes Homeowners Association (HOA), said the developer has attempted to show the value of this project to the City of Trussville and TSC, but Hill said the project does the opposite.
“We are confident that this project does not benefit the city and schools system and the people I represent near as much as it does the developer and his partners,” Hill said. “We are realistic, practical, and understand a project needs to make money, but do not want this developer’s thirst for profit to cost us, the City of Trussville, and TCS money by inserting harm and uncertainty into our real estate market by threatening our long term investments once this developer is out of the picture.”
Hill said his concerns are the high-density housing in Glendale Farms and believes it’s an “irrelevant play to donate land for a public school in the Glendale Farms development.
“We are deeply concerned that this project is an unproven concept that introduces instability in our real estate market,” Hill said. “We certainly respect the advantageous nature of the school proposal, the cost savings it presents to the school system, and opportunity to limit the developer’s tax liability by making such a generous and benevolent donation to our school system, but we believe this is nothing more than a shallow window dressing and a shakedown.”
He also suggested that the developer be mandated to begin construction of Sweet Pea Road and Mary Road when 50 percent of the lots in Glendale Farms receive their certificates of occupancy from the city.
“These roads need to be completed prior to the development receiving 65 percent of the project’s planned certificates of occupancy,” Hill said.
Ben Horton spoke on behalf of residents in Carrington and said the growth trajectory of Trussville may be falling into a situation of “uncontrolled growth.”
“There are early indicators that can help identify if growth is too fast, such as heavy traffic build-up, overcrowded school systems, and strained utility services,” Horton said. “These problems typically lead to a decrease in the quality of life for city residents.”
Horton also said that he has seen data showing that a school built near your home does not increase your property value.
“For a local example, you could look at the history of property values surrounding Magnolia Elementary School (MES), or many communities throughout Birmingham,” Horton said. “It’s not the physical location of a school that raises property values, it’s the ranking of the school that increases the property value.”
Horton told the council not to let pressures push them into making a decision geared toward haphazard growth.
Trussville residents also voiced their concerns about the Glendale Farms at Carrington proposed development at the Planning and Zoning meeting on Monday, April 11. The Planning and Zoning Committee sent the planned unit development (PUD) back to Trussville City Council with a negative recommendation.
Related Story: Residents voice concerns about Glendale Farms at Carrington, Planning and Zoning votes ‘no’
Managing Director of Redmont Consulting Group and the development consultant on the project, Doug Neil, said they talked about the development plan sitting on the 250 acres.
“We are proposing 419 units, total residential on 250 acres, we’re proposing a school site of 24.6 acres that are approximately 107 acres of open space and greenways, approximately 15,000 square foot of neighborhood commercial property, a new connection to Highway 11, and community amenities that will go with the various development phases of the project,” Neil said.
Neil said over the period of time the things that have been built into the development plan are a planning process, where they have responded to questions and concerns where there’s been an opportunity to improve the plan by taking feedback, they’ve attempted to do that.
“At the same time, we’ve tried to solve for deficiencies that exist in the community and or needs in the community, such as the school site, such as the need to address access into Carrington for life, safety, and other purposes, and the challenges caused by the rail line,” Neil said.
In other matters, the Council approved:
- Ordinance to Declare Two City-Owned Properties Surplus, then Sell Both to the City Redevelopment Authority;
- Public Hearing on Vacating Wisteria Trace Rights-of-Way;
- Vacate Wisteria Trace Rights-of-Way on the North Side of Glen Cross Phase 2;
- Public Hearings on ABC Applications for Dos Botellas Mexican Restaurant, Mr. Wests Asian Kitchen & Hamilton Place Shell;
- Resolution to Approve ABC License for Dos Botellas Mexican Restaurant;
- Resolution to Approve ABC License for Mr. Wests Asian Kitchen;
- Resolution to Approve ABC License for Hamilton Place Shell;
- Resolution to Reward Gymnastics Academy Construction Bid to Stone Building Company;
- FIRST READING ONLY – Ordinance to Re-Zone Glendale Farms to PUD (Planned Urban Development District) from A-1/I-1/I-2 (Agricultural & Industrial Districts);
- Public Hearing on the Proposed Glendale Farms Rezoning;
- Parking Easement Agreement Between City & AL Trussville Hwy 11 LLC Regarding Public Use of BOE Parking Spaces;
- Reappoint Darrell Skipper to the Planning & Zoning Commission; term ending June 11, 2028;
- Appoint Tony Riley as Supernumerary to the Board of Zoning Adjustments; term ending Feb 15, 2025;
- Promote Police Administrative Clerk Givonne Halbert to Administrative Assistant (Grade 16 – Step 4), effective May 21, 2022;
- Hire Jacob Carmichael, Laynee Spurlin, Allie Monski, Deshazo Bryant, Carter Lybrand, Samuel Jordan, Brady Ryan, and Garrett Long as seasonal Lifeguards (Grade 7 – Step 1), effective May 21, 2022;
- Hire Haleigh Chambers and Nolan Armstrong as seasonal Lifeguards (Grade 7 – Step 2), effective May 21, 2022;
- Hire Layton Lambert as seasonal Lifeguards (Grade 7 – Step 4), effective May 21, 2022;
- Hire Taylor Rager and Sadie Westerhouse as part-time Recreation Gymnastics Instructors (Grade 12 – Step 1), effective May 21, 2022;
- Hire McGuire Brooks as part-time Recreation unskilled laborer (Grade 7 – Step 1), effective May 21, 2022; and
- Hire Brian Woods and Shanta Scott as full-time Public Works skilled laborers (Grade 12 – Step 2), effective May 21, 2022.
Auditing accounts
- Accounts Payable;
- Government Finance Officers Association of Alabama summer conference for Finance Director Mike Hinson and Senior Accountant Jenny Shipp, Aug 10-12 at Orange Beach. $600 registration fees plus accommodations;
- Red Dot Pistol Fundamentals Instructor Course for Police Sgt. Chad Jones & Detective Michael Montana, Sept. 13-14 in Tuscaloosa. $900 registration fees; and
- Alabama Municipal Revenue Officers Association summer conference for Accounting Assistant II Cathy Jensen (Administration), Aug 1-3 in Mobile. $265 registration fee plus accommodations.
The next Council workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, beginning at 5 p.m. The next regular session will follow at 6 p.m. The second reading and vote on the proposed Glendale Farms at Carrington develop will take place during this meeting.