Photo by Erin Nelson.
A vehicle passes through the 3-way stop at the intersection of Caldwell Mill Road and Acton Place in Vestavia Hills in front of a 10-acre wooded lot Aug. 27. Highpointe Properties purchased the property with a proposal to build 29 new homes. Nearby residents have expressed concern about the development.
Seventeen homes will soon be built on 18 lots at 2810 Five Oaks Lane in the Altadena neighborhood, following the approval of the annexation and rezoning of the property by the Vestavia Hills City Council on Feb. 22.
The property was rezoned from Jefferson County E-2 to Vestavia Hills R-2, which is medium-density residential and is a proposal of Round Tree Investments. One lot will remain in the county but will be subject to the covenants and conditions of the entire subdivision and, if it is subdivided in the future, it cannot exceed a maximum of two lots compliant with its current zoning classification.
The property owners and area residents have had multiple meetings during the past several months and have addressed many of the issues originally expressed, including density –– the property was originally slated for the development of 29 homes before the developer took that request down to 17 homes –– and drainage, as well as green space, with the owner agreeing to include 2.35 acres of dedicated green space.
Because of that, Don Petry, spokesperson for the neighborhood, said they had no problem supporting annexation and the rezoning, though he raised two concerns: the installation of a stop sign at Caldwell Mill Road and Five Oaks Lane, and a sidewalk extension on Caldwell Mill Road from Five Oaks Lane to Shady Waters Lane.
The stop sign is needed, Petry said, to deal with speeding. Petry referenced a traffic study that was done on Caldwell Mill Road by Skipper Consulting that found that at least 15% of drivers in the study were traveling 39 miles per hour in the 25 miles per hour zone and said he and others have been struck by a car on the road. The study measured turning volumes at Five Oaks Lane and Acton Place.
City Manager Jeff Downes said in order for a stop sign to be installed, a traffic calming measure can be requested on the city’s website. Sidewalks will be installed in front of the proposed lots and a new pedestrian bridge is proposed along Caldwell Mill Road.
Concerns with the weight-restricted bridge on Caldwell Mill have been raised, and Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Ammons, who was present at the meeting, said the county is working to alleviate those issues and at some point, hopes to replace that bridge.
The council also passed a resolution approving the splitting of surplus funds between the general reserve fund and the capital projects fund, which will raise the capital fund reserves from about $4.3 million to $5.7 million, while the general fund unassigned reserves will decrease from about $5 million to $3.6 million. The move was made last year by the council and was brought up at this year’s strategic planning session.
The council also approved a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for all city employees, retroactive to Oct. 1, 2020, a cost of about $235,000, Downes said. The move comes after the city did not approve a COLA raise last fiscal year.
In other business, the council:
- Approved an alcohol license for the Shell station at 2485 Rocky Ridge Road.
- Approved the annexation and rezoning from JC R-1 to VH R-2 of 2537 Tyler Road.
- Approved the annexation and rezoning from JC E-2 to VH R-1 of 2519 Dolly Ridge Road.
- Approved the annexation and rezoning from JC E-1 to VH E-2 of 3643 Altadena Drive.
