Chace Lake condo proposal draws concern from business owners
It’s not unusual for residents to show up at Hoover zoning board meetings in opposition to a new business proposed to go up near their home, but this week it was business owners objecting to a residential development.
Clint Sukar, a home builder, on Monday night was asking the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission to allow him to build a three-story building in the commercial sector of the Chace Lake development with three commercial spaces on the bottom floor and 12 residential condominiums in the same 26,700-square-foot building.
The proposal was for a 1-acre lot at 1869 Chace Drive, right at the edge of the commercial sector of Chace Lake and near single-family homes.
Sukar’s plan was to have the three commercial spaces facing Chace Drive and two condos on the back side of the building’s first floor. Each of the second and third floors would have five condos, and all of the spaces — commercial and residential — were proposed to be between 1,400 and 1,500 square feet.
No current Chace Lake residents spoke out against the proposal, but three owners of nearby commercial property or businesses did.
Dr. Austin Hunt of Alabama Vein & Restoration Medspa, Dr. Todd Howell of Chace Lake Family Dentistry and Mondonna Movahed (who owns a shopping center across Chace Drive) all said they were concerned there is not enough parking in Sukar’s plan for three businesses and 12 condos.
The parking plan submitted to the city shows 38 parking spaces, which City Planner Mac Martin said meets the required number of spaces for a mixed-use development of that size. However, some planning commissioners also said they had concerns about adequate parking.
Mixed-use zones in Hoover technically require 1.5 parking spaces per residential unit and 4.5 parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of commercial space, and Sukar’s plan meets that criteria, Martin said.
Some planning commissioners asked Sukar what he would do if every condo unit had two vehicles, and Sukar said some of the parking in front of the building could be available for residents as well.
Hunt, Howell and Movahed said they were concerned about parking from Sukar’s development spilling over into their parking lots and said they need their parking spaces.
Howell said he was excited about potentially having additional retail businesses next to him, but he is against residential development in the commercial part of Chace Lake and bought his property with the understanding that nearby lots would be commercial as well.
Hunt, Howell and Movahed also said they were concerned that Sukar’s plan does not show any grassy areas for any dogs that condo residents might have. They don’t want condo residents’ dogs coming onto their property to relieve themselves, they said.
Martin, while recommending the zoning board approve Sukar’s request, had several conditions and changes that needed to be made to plans before the plans would be considered by the City Council. Sukar said he could have those changes made by that time, but zoning board members recommended Sukar seek a continuance to try to address parking concerns and work out other issues before the zoning board votes.
So the proposal was continued and is to be reconsidered at the Sept. 12 zoning board meeting.
In other business Monday night, the zoning board:
- Approved final plans for 60 residential lots in Blackridge South Phase 7 and three common area lots. Most of those lots should be 65 feet wide and 125 feet deep, said Bob Easley, an engineer for the developer.
- Gave approval for Lot 10 of the Tattersall Park development near Greystone to be divided into two lots — one lot with about 1.7 acres and the other with about 31 acres. Mark Clark, a surveyor with Schoel Engineering, said he believed the developer has plans for a Big Whiskey’s American Restaurant & Bar on the 1.7-acre site.
- Gave approval for single-family residential property at 4318 Glasscott Crossing in the Ross Bridge community to be divided from one lot into three lots.
Meanwhile, American Pet Resorts has withdrawn its request for the city to allow a Pet Paradise grooming and boarding facility with outdoor exercise and play areas and on-site veterinary care at the intersection of Stadium Trace Parkway and Brock’s Gap Parkway after facing significant opposition from nearby residents in Trace Crossings.
Charlie Beavers, an attorney representing American Pet Resorts, said in an interview the company believes that, under current zoning, it has the right to move forward with its facility there if it were to remove the outdoor exercise and play areas from the design. However, Beavers said he believes the company plans to look for another site that would accommodate outdoor areas instead.