
Neal Embry Starnes Media
Members of the Vestavia Hills City Council talk ahead of the Jan. 27 meeting at Vestavia Hills City Hall.
A three-way deal that would have the city of Vestavia Hills purchase an apartment complex and then simultaneously sell it to a third-party to obtain right-of-way for a sidewalk project was approved at the Jan. 27 City Council meeting.
The council approved the contract to purchase Greendale Apartments on Greendale Road, which contains five units, City Manager Jeff Downes said. The purchase will cost $440,000, but once the council approves the sale of the property, the city will close on the deal, simultaneously buying it and then selling it to Bridgewater for about $305,000. The remaining $135,000 that will come out of the city’s budget will go to Bridgewater for the purchase of right-of-way so the city can build a right-turn lane from Crosshaven Drive onto Greendale Road, as part of the widening and sidewalk project that will take place on Crosshaven sometime this year. That project is expected to go to bid sometime in February.
Downes said the current property owner was not interested in conveying the right-of-way to the city and told city officials he would rather sell the property, so the move helps both parties. If any part of the deal falls through, the deal is completely off, so the city will not be left owning an apartment complex, Downes said.
The sales contract was introduced at the end of the meeting but will be voted on at an upcoming meeting.
In his report to the council, Downes said the Crosshaven project is a difficult one as there are so many tracts of land to obtain rights-of-way on, but the city is making good progress and the project should begin sometime this year.
If the governing bodies approve, the city will take over the relocation of utilities along Crosshaven Drive for Jefferson County’s purposes, in an effort by the county to speed up that work. The county would pay the city for the work, Downes said.
The council also approved an alcohol license for the new Publix grocery store in Liberty Park, set to open in March. The Publix in Rocky Ridge is expected to open in September. An alcohol license for the Hilton Garden Inn was also approved after the hotel went through a change of ownership.
The council also approved an ordinance adopting the state’s procedures for dealing with unclaimed property held by the municipal court and the Vestavia Hills Police Department. Currently, the court cannot dispose of the property, Court Director Umang Patel said. The overall value of property held by the two entities is between $110,000 and $115,000. Property includes items like cash bail that’s given to the court but then never given back because the arrestee died, Patel said.
The city can now use those funds but will set 10 percent back in reserves in case someone comes forward to claim the money, Patel said.
The council also approved the rezoning of 3122, 3128, 3134 and 3136 Sunview Drive from institutional agriculture zoning to neighborhood mixed-use zoning. The property has been a challenge for developers in the past, said council member Rusty Weaver, who serves on the planning and zoning commission. The lots were all zoned differently, but the property owner now has all four lots zoned for a salon and spa development.
The council also approved the purchase of a heavy rescue truck for the Vestavia Hills Fire Department at a cost of $135,000, and also passed their end of a joint purchasing agreement with Vestavia Hills City Schools allowing the schools to take advantage of the financing in the city’s contract with Dunn Construction to pave the parking lots at the new Pizitz Middle School on Columbiana Road.