City making plans for new park at Altadena Valley Country Club

The city of Vestavia Hills is currently in negotiations to turn part of Altadena Valley Country Club into a public park with athletic fields and walking trails.

City manager Jeff Downes and Mayor Butch Zaragoza have been working with Keith Development Company since December on a plan for the 90-acre property. David Keith, the owner of the development company, wants to turn 30 acres of the country club into single-family homes and donate about 64 acres to create a park.

“I think the city has a lot of big plans for that area,” Keith said. “The donation really fit one of their needs.”

Downes said this potential new park would respond to resident desires for more walking and biking trails, and it would also relieve pressure on the city’s currently overcrowded athletic fields. There are multiple football, baseball and softball leagues playing in the city, as well as lacrosse and soccer teams competing for space. This demand is expected to increase, as the city is projected to be the home of an additional 1,000 to 1,500 children over the next 10 to 15 years.

“It boils down to capacity. We have a robust recreational program and a citizenry that really wants to play ball in many different fashions,” Downes said.

The deal is not yet a certainty, but Zaragoza said the property, situated on the Cahaba River and Acton Road, would be ideal for trails, picnic tables around a pond and playing fields. The walking trails could eventually connect to trails at nearby Patchwork Farms, as well.

There are several steps standing between Vestavia Hills and its new park. The country club is currently located in unincorporated Jefferson County, so the city will have to annex the property and rezone it before moving forward. Keith said the annexation paperwork was submitted to the city of Vestavia Hills for review on Wednesday, March 11.

Downes expects the deal with Keith Development to be concluded by late April, followed by 90 to 120 days of planning. He wants to have a design put together for public viewing over the summer, and construction on park facilities could begin in the fall of this year or early 2016.

Based on previous park projects, Downes estimated that the city would spend around $2.5 million on creating the park.

As the deal moves forward, Downes said there will be public meetings to discuss the impact a park would have on the Cahaba River, nearby residents and local traffic.

“This is not a foregone conclusion,” Downes said. “There will be plenty of time for community conversation [and] stakeholder input as this thing moves forward. It is the city’s intent [for] everybody – whether you’re a resident, a baseball player, a lacrosse player, just somebody who loves Vestavia Hills or that particular region – to walk away very proud of what comes from that.”