Douglas family wants 17 acres off Patton Chapel Road annexed into Hoover
Four sisters who own property off Patton Chapel Road are asking the Hoover City Council to annex part of their family’s property to make way for a 42-house subdivision.
The family farmland is known as the Douglas Chapel farm property and is next to Hoover First United Methodist Church, near the intersection of Patton Chapel Road and Old Columbiana Road.
Four of the Douglas sisters — Amanda Douglas Daily, Alma Douglas Gaudette, Sarah Elizabeth Douglas Martin and Dorothy Douglas Taft — have asked the city to annex about 17 acres of their family’s property, Hoover City Clerk Margie Handley said. That includes 12 acres that would contain 42 houses and about five acres of commercial property that fronts Old Columbiana Road, Handley said.
The proposed subdivision would be accessed via a road coming off Patton Chapel Road across from Frank Avenue, according to a map submitted to the city. The plan is for the subdivision to be developed by the D.R. Horton homebuilding company.
The residential lots would be at least 60 feet wide, Hoover planning consultant Bob House said. Part of them would be next to Hoover First United Methodist Church, and the rest of the subdivision would back up to homes on Polo Parc Court in the Polo Trace subdivision and homes along Thornton Place.
The rest of the family’s land — parcels fronting Patton Chapel Road — would remain unincorporated, Hoover planning consultant Bob House said.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said he believes two brothers in the Douglas family still live on the part that would remain unincorporated. They’re not ready for their property to be annexed yet, he said.
But Brocato said he favors annexing the land that would have the new subdivision.
“It would be such a small development, we feel that it wouldn’t impact us in a negative way,” Brocato said.
The city has been eager to annex islands of unincorporated land to fill in the holes in the city limits, Brocato said. That eliminates confusion concerning jurisdiction questions when providing services and helps the city to control what happens on the property, he said.
“I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” he said.
Efforts to reach members of the Douglas family and their real estate agent for comment were unsuccessful.
The Hoover City Council’s annexation committee is scheduled to consider the request at a meeting immediately after the Monday, April 3, city council meeting.
The council’s education committee is meeting at 5 p.m. Monday to discuss an upcoming school board appointment, and the full council will meet at 5:30 p.m. for a work session and 6 p.m. for an action meeting.
The annexation committee also is scheduled to consider requests to annex:
- A parcel that includes the American Family Care business at 5410 U.S. 280, just east of Alabama 119.
- Two parcels at 2161 and 2169 Silver Spur Lane owned by Dan and Teresa Browning in the Ross Bridge area, off Ross Bridge Parkway and Melton Road. The Brownings asked for their residential property to be annexed several years ago, but the previous City Council’s Annexation Committee denied the request. Fire Chief Chuck Wingate said then that access to the property was less than adequate for a roadway.
- One parcel at 2173 Silver Spur Lane owned by David Havron in the Ross Bridge area.
- One parcel at 720 Carl Raines Lake Road owned by Diane Robertson in the Riverchase area.
This article was updated at 5:30 p.m. on March 31 after city officials said the American Family Care property on U.S. 280 would be considered for annexation by the Annexation Committee on Monday, April 3, as well. A second change was made on April 7 to correct the number of homes proposed for the property from 35 to 42.