Emily Featherston
The Vestavia Hills City Council approved a rezoning request for six residential lots along Crosshaven Drive to become mixed-use commercial development.
The lots are situated between Ridgely Drive and Valley Park Road, and the development plans include a Leaf & Petal garden shop, a Latin restaurant and a bagel shop.
The final vote came after a lengthy discussion where councilors asked developer Jamie Pursell clarifying questions, and members of the community were able to speak in a public hearing.
Deloye Burell, a 30-year resident of Cahaba Heights and a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, which approved the rezoning request in September, said that he and the commission found the development plans to be consistent with the Cahaba Heights Master Plan.
"This showed more concern for the area than anything we’d seen for a while," Burell said.
Others echoed Burell's support of the project, including Abby Brady, who said she thinks it will set a positive example for future development.
"This is definitely the type of development I would like to see going forward,” Brady said.
Others, however, expressed concerns for the amount of traffic the development would bring to Crosshaven and surrounding streets.
Resident Chris Brown said the traffic on surrounding roads such as White Oak Drive already have significant "cut through" traffic of drivers trying to avoid Crosshaven, and said that he only sees the situation getting more dangerous as the development grows.
Others, including Lynn Wilmoth, who wrote a letter to the editor about the rezoning, said she was concerned with multiple aspects of the development, including the hours of operation and noise.
After the public comments, Mayor Ashley Curry went through the major issues, asking Pursell and his team to answer the concerns.
According to the traffic study done by Pursell through Skipper Consulting, the development is expected to add around 45 cars to traffic flow at peak hours in the morning and the evening, equating to less than one car per minute of additional traffic.
City Engineer Christopher Brady said that the development's traffic flow design, which has entrances off of Crosshaven, is also consistent with the city's goal to reduce driveway cuts on major thoroughfares.
Councilor George Pierce asked if there were ways to reduce left-turns from Valley Park onto Crosshaven, and Pursell said he is going to try to use signage and reminders to encourage drivers to use the Valley Park side as an entrance and the Ridgely Drive side as the exit.
Pursell also said that the landscaping, in his opinion, would make the two intersections safer by reducing blind spots.
Councilor Kimberly Cook asked if it would be possible to include a provision to prohibit outdoor music, as multiple residents were concerned with noise. City Attorney Patrick Boone said it was possible through a voluntary restrictive covenant, and Pursell agreed to the restriction.
The ordinance carried with unanimous consent.
Other Council Business Included:
- The council approved resolutions changing the designated signer for the city's bank accounts.
- Mayor Curry reminded the council and audience that the drought ordinance went into effect at the close of the meeting.
- The council voted to move the Dec. 26 regularly scheduled meeting to Dec. 28.
- An agreement was approved renewing the contract for parks concessions with Turner Food Systems.
