Vestavia Hills zoning board recommends rezoning for townhomes on Massey Road

The Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday night voted to recommend the City Council rezone property on Massey Road for a new townhome development.

The property at 3038 Massey Road formerly had 15 condominiums on it, but they burned down and the property has been vacant for years, City Planner Conrad Garrison said.

Developer Charles Kessler with Kadco wants to build eight townhomes on the site. He said the townhomes would be 1,800 to 2,700 square feet, and six of them would have another 1,200 square feet of basement space. Most would be 2½ stories, and each would have a two-car garage, an elevator and hardwood floors, he said.

They likely would start selling in the low $400,000s, Kessler said.

A previous rezoning of the property was tied to the site plan and building footprint of the previous condo development, so any change in that building footprint requires approval by the city, Garrison said.

The zoning code allows for townhomes in the current RC-1 zoning classification, but the city considers that zoning classification to be outdated and believes an R-9 zoning classification is more suited for this townhome development, he said.

Some nearby residents said there have been changes in the water table there since the condo complex was built and said they were concerned about water runoff and drainage issues.

City Engineer Christopher Brady said the city in July adopted more rigorous stormwater management requirements, regulating both the quantity and quality of stormwater drainage. The developer will have to decrease the amount of stormwater leaving the site, he said.

Planning Commission Chairman Blaine House noted that traffic on Massey Road has been a concern for some time.

Brady said a road project already has been approved that will widen and resurface Massey Road and add a sidewalk. Bids for that job should be received by the end of the year, and it should be ready for construction by early 2020, he said.

The townhome rezoning proposal now goes to the Vestavia Hills City Council in June. Kessler said if the rezoning is approved, he hopes to begin construction by the end of the month, and construction should take eight months to a year.

TWO NEW HOMES ON WINWARD LANE

In other business Thursday night, the zoning board also recommended the City Council rezone almost half an acre at 1109 Winward Lane from an R-2 residential zone to an R-9 residential zone to allow for two homes to be built on the two lots there.

Some nearby residents said there formerly was only one home there before it was torn down and they would prefer to see only one home built there.

Catherine Benefield, a resident on Canton Road two to three blocks away, said she is concerned that two houses squeezed onto that site will diminish property values in the area.

Garrison said the single house that previously was there did not actually meet city regulations. The property owner has a right to build two houses on two lots, but the setbacks required in the current R-2 zoning won’t allow for two houses there, he said.

The owner of the property could seek numerous variances, but it’s easier to just rezone the property, he said.

Ernie Dease, who just bought a house next door to this site, said he was concerned about the proposed two new houses only having 25-foot setback requirements while his house has a 50-foot setback requirement. If that were the case, when he stepped outside the front of his house, he would be looking at the side of the house next door, he said.

Jason Kessler of Kadco, the developer seeking the rezoning, said his company would be willing to have a 35-foot setback instead, and Dease said he was pleased to see that accommodation.

He’s glad to see that homes will be built on the property, he said. That’s better for property values than vacant lots, he said.

Jason Kessler said he expects the homes they build to be 2,500 to 3,000 square feet with two-car garages in the rear. They likely will be priced in the $500,000s, he said.

That rezoning case also goes to the Vestavia Hills City Council in June.