By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
TRUSSVILLE – The Trussville City Council heard from two residents who expressed their concerns with home building projects in the historic Cahaba Homestead district, as well as a planned restroom facility at the Mall area.
During public comments, Kathy Prince spoke on the construction of homes in the Cahaba Homestead district, saying that in 2017 and 2018 several original homes had been demolished, which prompted a temporary demolition moratorium from the city after public feedback.
Prince said that after the moratorium was passed a “compromise solution to a proposed preservation plan,” that put in place guidelines for home development. However, she said that though some follow the guidelines, there are others that “brazenly defy” them.
“Since this time at least four more original homes have been lost and replaced with new construction with non-compatible size and scale, non-compatible architectural,” she said. “The public has spoken out and the city offers no help.”
She said that a nonprofit was organized to advocate for the district with the site Cahabaheritage.org, receiving more than 1,000 followers online, and that others claim that there is not majority support but these individuals cannot provide the metrics to back this up.
“I just want to challenge the city,” she said. “What’s the remedy to this situation because there are still people who care about this?”
Mayor Buddy Choat commented after the meeting to say that there is a process that prospective homeowners go through that concerns home designs. They are encouraged to present design plans with specialists in the city, he said.
“They try to work out a balance between today’s architects and some of the old,” Choat said. “So far it’s worked out pretty good. Not everyone has been as easy to work with as maybe others but, for the most part, at least we have a process and plan.”
Arnold Reichert then spoke about plans to build a restroom facility at the tennis courts in the Mall of Trussville. Like the Cahaba Homestead, the Mall is a historic area.
Reichert spoke favorably of the area, calling it a good place to live but was alerted to city equipment digging a pit at the courts. He said that he later learned that a septic tank was being planned for the pit.
“Please do not deface our city Mall with this monster of a project,” he told the council. He showed a copy of the graphics for the facility, noting that it is 25 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet tall, totaling 500 square feet.
“That’s just a designated eye sore as far as people that live in the Mall think about it,” he said.
He then spoke of a pavilion that was built by the Trussville utilities department supposedly without approval from the nearby residents, which he said blocks certain views. He expressed misgivings about unattended restrooms being places that could pose a danger to children in the area.
“We all know now what can happen in restrooms and we don’t want our children involved in that,” he said. “These restrooms are unattended and a place where somebody could hide out. We don’t want that.”
He added that Trussville police have said that they can’t make people leave the area and that they can stay late at night as long as there is no disturbance of the peace. He recommended that the facility is not built and pointed to the pickleball courts restrooms being a better alternative.
Choat commented that there was a demand for buildings like the restroom facility and countered Reichert’s point about the pavilion, saying that the structure is used for multiple events such as family reunions. Restroom buildings will be good for such events, he said.
“We worked extensively for over a year on the design,” he said. “The design is really designed to fit that area. We have brick and we have stone that matches that gazebo. It’s very simple, they would be locked at nighttime just like our other restrooms are. As far as inviting people to come out there – we don’t have that problem with our other restrooms so they’ll be open during the day and closed during the nighttime and they’ll be clean and kept up to how we want them to be by the parks and recreation department.”
In other business, the council:
- Reappointed Board of Zoning Adjustments members Max Bender and Jeff Shelley, with terms ending on Feb. 15, 2026,
- Declared Feb. 25 as Arbor Day
- Approved a resolution authorizing Choat to sign a declaration of restrictive covenant for a property on Pear Street to allow driveway access,
- Held a public hearing and later approved an alcohol license for a Chevron location, and
- Held a public hearing and later approved an alcohol license for Steele Hall Brewing.
The Trussville City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at City Hall on 131 Main Street.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.