Hoover City Council to set public hearing on South Shades Crest Road rezoning proposal

The Hoover City Council during its meeting next Monday will set a public hearing for April 6 in which a vote will take place on a proposed plan to rezone 26 acres off South Shades Crest Road for a proposed retail shopping center.

The request by landowner USS Real Estate to rezone the property from industrial to commercial was approved in a 7-0 vote by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday and moves on for consideration by the City Council. The public hearing will be on the April 6 agenda during the 6 p.m. meeting in council chambers in City Hall, said Hoover City Councilman John Lyda, who serves on the city planning and zoning commission.

“The proposal will be presented and there will be a period of public comment and input before the vote is taken,” Lyda said today.

The City Council will have a work session on Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m. in council chambers to review the plan and ask the developer questions, Lyda said. While open to the public, work sessions do not have public discussion, he added.     

Hoover City Executive Allen Pate, a member of the zoning board, said the Hoover City Council will have the final say on the matter.

“I think that the zoning change from industrial to commercial is a great plan that is best for city residents and safer,” Pate said.

Justin Armstrong, manager of commercial sales and development for USS Real Estate, said in an interview today that rezoning the 26-acres of land to commercial use will help protect the community. Under the current zoning, the property is restricted for industrial use, primarily because there is a railroad nearby, he said.

Today due to major growth of homes and other development nearby, being rezoned for commercial use is a better fit, Armstrong said. The industrial zoning in place now means any property owner could use the land for auto repair shops, animal clinics or sanitary sewage plants that aren’t good for the community, he said.

“We are the developer for Trace Crossings nearby and feel this is best for the neighborhood,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong told the zoning board a prospective buyer has the land under contract, but couldn’t reveal who they are nor what their plans are. Pate has said there are strong “rumors that  a potential Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store will be built on the site, but I can’t confirm that.”

The 26 acres of land is south of Interstate 459 near South Shades Crest Road and across from Brock’s Gap Parkway. If the council approves the proposed rezoning to commercial, Pate said the city will conduct a study to determine if road work needs to be done to improve traffic flow at the proposed shopping center.