Metro Roundup: Glendale Farms development decision again delayed

The fate of the Glendale Farms property in Trussville has once again been delayed.

For the second time in as many months, the planned urban development project was pulled from consideration on the Trussville City Council agenda.

The 251-acre Glendale Farms at Carrington development, which would include 419 homes and a fourth city elementary school, was initially going to be voted on by the City Council May 19 but was removed at the request of the developer. After some last-minute proposed changes June 13, the topic was again removed from the council’s June 14 agenda. 

It will now go back to the Trussville Planning and Zoning Board for review July 11. The Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to meet in a workshop July 7. 

According to Councilman Ben Short, the developer has agreed to shift the development's phasing to build single-family detached units at the same time as the townhomes. The developer has also agreed to a 25% reduction in townhomes, bringing the total number of townhomes to 43. Additionally, the landscaping and exteriors of the townhomes will be maintained and kept up by the homeowners association. The developer also agreed to remove “Carrington” from the development name. The latest renderings show the name as “Glendale Farms Preserve.” 

The Glendale Farms discussion has been ongoing for months in Trussville. On May 10, the City Council held a first reading of the rezoning ordinance, which was met by nearly two hours of discussion. Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill was one of the first to speak at that meeting, noting the importance of 21 acres of “free land” designated for a fourth elementary school to ease overcrowding at Paine Elementary School.

“That allows us to fast-track our plans from 2019 forward in the pre-planning stages to go forward quicker with the elementary school,” Neill said. “I want to reiterate that since 2019 we’ve been looking for a place, and when the developers offered the land for the fourth elementary school, that could launch us into the planning stage.”

Paine Elementary School Principal Lisa Lothspeich spoke about the overcrowding at her school. She said the school is designed for 1,000 students, and about 1,300 currently attend. The expectation is that number will swell to 1,500 over the next couple of years. 

“We can manage that the best we can,” Lothspeich said. “It’ll be very challenging.” 

In four years, Paine Elementary could hold close to 1,700 students, she said. She urged the City Council to find a way to build a fourth elementary school.

“We don’t have the capacity for that,” she said.

Many Carrington Lakes residents spoke at the May 10 City Council meeting, mostly about traffic congestion, location issues, infrastructure and the types of homes that would be built in Glendale Farms.

“We just have so much traffic in Carrington,” Carrington resident Stephen White said. “Adding more is just hard to accept.” 

One other topic discussed May 10 was a proposed bridge to Glendale Farms to be constructed over the railroad tracks that have long blocked residents of Carrington, Stockton, Camp Coleman Road and other areas from leaving their neighborhoods. The projected $3.5 million bridge would be financed with $1.75 million from the city of Trussville and the remainder from Jefferson County.

Ron Hill, the president of the Carrington Lakes Homeowners Association, read a prepared statement. He said his hope was that the City Council acted on the concerns of 2,000 residents that will be impacted by the Glendale Farms at Carrington development. 

“We are deeply concerned that this project is an unproven concept that introduces instability in our real estate market,” Hill said. “We certainly respect the advantageous nature of the school proposal, the cost savings it presents to the school system and the opportunity to limit the developer’s tax liability by making such a generous and benevolent donation to our school system, but we believe this is nothing more than shallow window-dressing and a shakedown.”

Other than traffic and location concerns, the type of homes was the main point of contention for Carrington residents. Included in the Glendale Farms proposal are brownstones, townhomes and cottages — types of high-density homes that many in Carrington oppose. 

“I know it will be developed,” Carrington resident Bonnie Hicks said. “It is a beautiful property. I would like to see estate-size lots go in and a little more planning on the front end.”

Trussville’s Planning and Zoning Commission in April voted 5-4 to send a negative recommendation of the development to the City Council. Trussville Councilman Ben Short is a part of that commission.

“My stance on the proposed development remains unchanged, but it is extremely evident that our city has an immediate need for an additional elementary school,” Short said after the May 10 City Council meeting. “Should this proposal pass, a school will be located on the donated land at Glendale Farms. Should this proposal not pass the council, school board and city administration need to identify suitable site locations ASAP to address the future growth our city continues to have. Growth is good, but controlling and being strategic about the nature of that growth is more important now than ever before.”

Redmont Consulting Group Managing Partner Doug Neil, who has consulted on the development, said the goal has been to create a unique destination to enhance Trussville’s character. He said the proposal included 419 residential units, a 24.6-acre school site, 107 acres of open space/greenways, 15,000 square feet of commercial property and a new connection to U.S. 11. 

“This process has been an evolution,” Neil said. 

He said there would be seven price points for homes, ranging from $325,000 to $800,000, with a projection of $36.9 million in tax revenues for the city over the next 25 years, $20 million of which would be dedicated to Trussville City Schools.

One of the last residents to speak May 10, Sam Stewart, said he was a 10-year Carrington resident and has three kids in Trussville City Schools. He said it was easy to get tunnel vision for free land for a school, like a carrot dangling for the taking. He believes there could be other avenues to get a needed fourth elementary school.

“Let’s build the school, but let’s not step on the toes of the people that got you here,” he said.