Neal Embry
Members of the Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission examine agenda items during their July 12 meeting.
In the first of two monthly meetings on July 12, the Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission approved easement dedications in Liberty Park, as well as the conditional rezoning of two new residential lots.
Liberty Park Joint Venture and High Noon LLC requested the commission approve the dedication of easements and a private drive. Because roads in Liberty Park are private, the move was necessary to allow utility lines and other similar lines to be installed as necessary on the streets.
Three residents spoke about two new homes being built by Thornton Construction Company, Inc., at 2424 and 2432 Dolly Ridge Rd. The homes were rezoned from Jefferson County E-2 to Vestavia Hills R-2, despite some objections by the residents.
One resident said he was concerned about the removal of old trees on the lot, and a representative from the company said the plan is to save as many trees as possible, as the company has done in the past. Keeping those trees on the property helps raise property value, he said.
Another resident, who lives across the street, said he was concerned about the property value and overall community aspect. Another brought up that much of the zoning near the development is R-1, which are larger lots, which may be affected by smaller R-2 lots. While many homes zoned R-2 in that development were originally supposed to be R-1, they had to be rezoned because of a width requirement, the Thornton representative said. The width requirement was the only thing keeping the homes from being R-1 homes, he said.
Four rezonings for the purpose of annexation were also approved. The city council has already approved the annexation of:
- 2401 Jannebo Road, JCE-2 to VH R-1
- 3332 Misty Lane, from JCE-2 to VH R-1
- 2764 Altadena Lake, from JCR-1 to VH R-2
Also approved was the rezoning of land owned by the Vestavia Hills Board of Education near the new Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, formerly Gresham Elementary School. The address of 2650 Gresham Drive was rezoned from Jefferson County Instructional-1 to Vestavia Hills Instr.-1. The council had previously approved its annexation.
The commission also appointed Erica Barnes and Blaine House as chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively. The commission meets again July 19 at 6 p.m. in council chambers at city hall.
