Annexation request for new subdivision next to Greystone fails with Hoover council

A request for the city of Hoover to annex 59 acres next to the Greystone community for a new subdivision with 94 to 97 homes failed to get approval from the Hoover City Council’s Annexation Committee Monday night.

Developer Alan Howard with Centennial Homes was trying to get the property brought into the city at the same time he was proposing a zoning plan to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission.

But there was opposition from some residents in the Greystone community, who said Howard was proposing too many houses on lots that are too narrow and not comparable to most of the homes in Greystone.

After hearing from Howard and residents, no member of the Annexation Committee was willing to make a motion to either annex the property or reject the request. Therefore, the request failed.

City Planner Mac Martin said that, because the annexation request failed, the request before the Hoover zoning board is now moot and dead.

Howard was trying to get the property “pre-zoned” for a Planned Residential District at the Jan. 13 zoning board meeting, contingent upon annexation. But the board tabled the request until Feb. 10 to allow more communication between the developer and the Greystone Legacy and Greystone Founders homeowners associations and to give the homeowner associations more time to review the request.

Martin said there now is nothing for the zoning board to consider. Howard now has the option to come back to the zoning board with a different “pre-zoning” plan for the land, or he could seek development approval from the Shelby County Planning Commission, since the property is unincorporated, Martin said.

A different pre-zoning plan could not be heard by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission until its March 9 meeting, Martin said.

Howard on Monday night said he likely would discuss his options with an attorney before deciding what to do. On Wednesday morning, Martin said Howard is asking the zoning board to hear his current request anyway at its Feb. 10 meeting.

Whatever is done with the land, the current landowner already has an agreement in place with the developer of Greystone that allows for access to the land from Legacy Drive, which is the entrance to the Greystone Legacy community. That agreement puts the access road to the property behind the gate on Legacy Drive.

Howard said he was willing to follow the Greystone Legacy covenants, come under the Greystone Legacy Architectural Review Committee and have each lot owner pay dues to the Greystone Legacy homeowners association, even if his development is not officially in the Greystone “planned urban development.”

He also was willing to leave an undisturbed buffer between his development and adjacent homes in the Greystone Founders community, he said.

Several residents from the Greystone Founders community objected to his plans.

Ray Fitzpatrick, an attorney who lives in the Greystone Founders community and who was representing the 880 homes in the Founders homeowners association, said if Howard were proposing estate-size lots, the discussion would be much different. But the smaller lot sizes are inconsistent with most of Greystone, he said.

“We’re getting the smallest possible lots crammed in there to get the most dollars from each square foot of dirt,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’re not opposed to the development of property in a reasonable way, but we don’t think that it should be done in this way.”

Mary Sue Ludwig, the governmental affairs director for the Greystone Founders community, said her association has always thought the property in question needs to be in the city of Hoover but said Howard has been unwilling to compromise on the density.

“We will welcome someone to come into our community, but we don’t want to be trampled all over and over property devalued by putting something there that’s not in keeping with our PUD, with our covenants and with our agreement,” Ludwig said.

Howard said his development does match parts of Greystone. There are 3.02 houses per acre in the Legacy Place sector of Greystone, and his proposal is for 2.6 houses per acre, he said. His property contains a lake, and if you removed the lake, his plan still would have less than 3 houses per acre, he said.

Frank Paduch, a Greystone Founders resident whose property borders Howard’s proposed development, said the number of units per acre is not the main issue for him. He’s more concerned about the lots being 65 feet wide, compared to 75 to 90 feet wide in Greystone.

Howard, who also lives in Greystone, said he wants to build smaller lots because the demand in the market is for smaller lots with less maintenance. Many people with larger homes are looking to downsize and don’t want as much yardwork, he said.

This story was updated at 11:03 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to reflect that the developer is asking the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission to hear his "pre-zoning" request at its Feb. 10 meeting, despite the failed attempt at annexation.