Hoover City Council denies housing developer annexation request for 13.5 acre lot

A Hoover City Council Annexation Committee unanimously rejected a housing developer’s request that 13.5 acres of vacant land near the Russet Lake community be annexed into the city.

Council Member Gene Smith, who chaired the committee, expressed concern over potential over-crowding in Hoover City Schools in that area if developer Sterling Lakes Holding I’s proposed 10-lot subdivision was annexed into the city.

Zac Parrish of Sterling Lakes Holding told the council annexation committee that allowing the lot to become a part of the city of Hoover would benefit the city by providing property taxes from the homes to be built. He also said the proposed development, with 2,500 to 3,200 square foot single-family homes priced from $320,000 to $400,000, would boost property values of the nearby community.

Parrish acknowledged when questioned by Smith that annexing the 13.5 acres into Hoover would make the land more valuable to the developers. But Smith didn’t bulge, adding, “That part of Hoover is the most overcrowded in our school system.”

After a brief discussion, all four members of the Hoover City Council annexation committee denied the request. The committee, however, did approve two other annexation requests: by Richard and Margaret Lowe, owners of a home at 2929 Monte D’Este Drive, and by James and Patricia Levio, owners of a home at 1701 Kestwick Drive.Prior to the session, Council President Jack Wright said Hoover has been receiving lots of annexation requests in recent months from property owners desiring to be a part of the city of Hoover due to its highly-regarded school system.