Jefferson County Commission to consider rezoning land off Old Columbiana Road for 30 condos

The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday is scheduled to vote on whether to rezone about 4 acres off Old Columbiana Road near Patton Chapel Road for a 30-unit condominium building.

Douglass Farms LLC is asking the commission to rezone the property, which is not in the city of Hoover, from an R-G single-family district, which requires lots of at least 4,000 square feet and homes of at least 1,000 square feet, to an R-4 multi-family district, which requires at least 500 square feet per unit.

The property, which is part of the Douglas family farm, currently is vacant and includes a pond.

The R-G zoning would allow up to 21 dwelling units per acre, and the proposed development would have 7.4 units per acre, according to a summary provided by the county’s principal planner and zoning administrator.

Just to the south is Hoover First United Methodist Church, and just to the north is the AHEPA senior living apartment complex. To the east is light industrial property in a commercial zone along Old Columbiana Road, and to the west is vacant land in a commercial district. A little further west is the Polo Trace subdivision.

The plan is for the entrance road to the condominium complex to be off Old Columbiana Road, according to a conceptual development plan supplied by the county. The 2½-story building and 63 parking spaces are slated to be on 4 acres that includes a detention pond, while a 1.5-acre lot and 2.6-acre lot with frontage along Columbiana Road are zoned for commercial use.

The proposed 30-unit condominium complex is expected to generate about 225 vehicle trips per weekday, according to information provided by the county. County staff indicated that a traffic study was needed to identify the anticipated combined traffic of all three lots that would be served by the entrance road.

County staff indicated that the request for R-4 multi-family zoning is compatible with the county’s land use plan for the area.

However, at least one letter of opposition has been received by the county. Edmond and Brenda Pharo indicated they do not want a high-rise structure that a condominium or apartment building would require and said they are concerned about population density in that area.

Members of the Douglas family asked the city of Hoover to annex 12 acres of their property in 2017 and zone it for 40 houses for people age 55 and older, but the Hoover City Council rejected that request.

The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission on June 6 of this year recommended approval of the new rezoning request for condominiums, and now the County Commission will consider it at its 9 a.m. meeting Thursday, July 28, in Room 270 at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham.

There will be a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak at the hearing is required to sign up by 8:50 a.m.