Jefferson County Commission rezones land for 30 condos near Hoover

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

Developer Zac Parrish of Douglass Farms LLC asked 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 County Commission voted 4-0 in favor of the rezoning, with Commissioner Steve Ammons absent.

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

The R-G zoning would have allowed up to 21 dwelling units per acre, and the proposed development is slated to 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 the request for R-4 multi-family zoning is compatible with the county’s land use plan for the area, allowing for a transition between commercial zoning along Old Columbiana Road and single-family residential zoning along Patton Chapel Road.

Also, this condominium development will be in keeping with another nearby condominium development the County Commission approved in November and a senior living apartment complex to the north of the property, Jefferson County Zoning Administrator Michael Morrison said.

Hoover’s city planner told the county staff this condominium development does not conflict with the city’s land use plan but said the city does have concerns about stormwater drainage from the site, Morrison said. Stormwater drainage will be addressed when the developer submits actual construction plans, Morrison said.

County Commission President Jimmie Stephens said Mayor Frank Brocato and City Administrator Allan Rice asked that this condominium development be required to pay fire dues to the Hoover Fire Department for fire protection and emergency medical services since the Douglas farm property is surrounded by the city of Hoover. Another option would have been the Rocky Ridge Fire Department, but the developer agreed to pay fire dues to the city of Hoover, Stephens said.

Stephens also said the county has received a lot of negative publicity about drainage issues in the Patton Chapel area and told the engineering company for the developer that he is instructing the county’s Department of Development Services to make sure drainage for this condominium development is handled properly.

No one spoke against the condominium development at Thursday’s County Commission meeting.

However, at least one letter of opposition was received by the county. Edmond and Brenda Pharo indicated in a short letter that 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.

So the property owners decided to develop it as unincorporated property. Parrish said he plans to start construction of the 30 condominiums for which zoning was approved Thursday in about six months. Construction should take about 12 months to complete, he said.