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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
In front of City Hall, children protest a mixed-use development proposal in Cahaba Heights.
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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
In front of City Hall, children protest a mixed-use development proposal in Cahaba Heights.
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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
In front of City Hall, children protest a mixed-use development proposal in Cahaba Heights.
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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
In front of City Hall, children and parents protest a mixed-use development proposal in Cahaba Heights.
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Courtesy of BREC Development
Cahaba Heights Apartments
Developer Steven Hydinger presented a new proposal to the planning and zoning commission with fewer apartment units and more retail.
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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
Residents had to wait in line for the chance to express their concerns over the Cahaba Heights apartment proposal to the commission, as they were past capacity.
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Sydney Cromwell
Cahaba Heights Apartments
Residents held and planted several signs opposing the development outside City Hall.
A nearly three-hour hearing of a proposed apartment and mixed use retail development near Cahaba Heights Elementary ended in a 6-2 vote to recommend the plan to the city council. The crowd of residents in City Hall met this decision with shouts of disapproval, some calling commission members "hypocrites" or "liars."
City Hall was packed with Cahaba Heights residents, who had to take turns sitting in on the meeting so the room would not be over its capacity. A group of residents and several elementary students also gathered in front of City Hall, holding signs and chanting "Not in our school yard" to passing cars on Highway 31.
Cahaba Heights Apartment Protest
Inside, discussion ranged from water runoff control and pollution to crime and parking for elementary baseball games. Residents voiced concerns about increased traffic flow, additional students at the elementary school and safety for children.
The proposal, presented by Steven Hydinger of BREC Development, involves an 81-unit apartment complex with retail and restaurant areas on the first floor and in a second building. It also includes on and off-street parking and a new road to connect Dolly Ridge Road and Oakview Lane in front of the school. After initial residential pushback, Hydinger dropped his first proposal in July and made some adjustments to incorporate more retail space and other changes to fall in line with the Cahaba Heights Village Master Plan.
"We believe in our community," Hydinger said in the meeting. "This is truly a change for our city for the positive."
This master plan was at the center of discussion, as it calls for small-scale, walkable development in a village style. Gathered residents said the four-story complex would be too large, would take away green space and did not align with the goals of the neighborhood. They also pointed out other apartment projects in the works on Cahaba River Road.
"It's just not a good idea any way you look at it," resident Frank Hays said. "We're just a sleepy little community."
Kay Cooper, the principal of Cahaba Heights Elementary, said she worried about the burden of additional students on her school, especially if it increased the students on free and reduced lunches and other programs. The school currently has 394 students, down slightly from last year. She also brought up how the development would impact safety plans in place for the school and the 50 to 90 kids who walk to and from school every day.
"I can guarantee in 29 years of teaching that this is not what I would want next to my school," Cooper said.
She was one of many residents to receive audience applause for her voice against the project.
Abby Brady presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures to the commission opposing the new plan. Dominique Anderson, who has a fifth-grade daughter, Emma, at the elementary, said she doesn't feel any more retail should be added there, and that the apartment proposal is much too close to be safe for students.
"I don't know the magic answer, I just know that isn't it," Anderson said.
Several speakers during the meeting said they weren't opposed to development in the property as a whole, but they felt this particular plan was not the solution. They favored townhouses or condominiums with more retail and a shorter roofline.
The impact on fire, police and other emergency personnel was also brought up, as residents were concerned additional traffic would mean slower response times. However, Police Chief Dan Rary commented that the additional road would likely make it easier for personnel to respond to an emergency at the school.
"I would love to have another road cut to the school such as this one," Rary said.
At the end of public comments, commission members Brian Wolfe and Blaine House noted that other developments are proposed or in the works that will be on a similar scale to the apartment complex. Once the projects are completed, House said the apartments would fit better into their context.
The commission finally voted at nearly 9 p.m., with only two members opposed to the complex proposal. This is a non-binding recommendation to the city council, which Commission Chairman Lyle Larson said will have a first reading of the proposal sometime in the next month and make a final decision in about two months.
Based on reactions of the crowd, most Cahaba Heights residents were displeased by this recommendation. Larson recommended that residents voice their opinions to council members prior to their first reading. Contact information for council members is on the city's website, vhal.org.
