Trace Crossings residents favor parts of new zoning plan but still oppose commercial

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Trace Crossings residents praised most of an amendment to their community’s zoning plan Thursday night, but said they still have concerns about commercial development, traffic and the impact of new houses on schools.

About 125 people showed up at a community meeting at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium Thursday night to hear details of a zoning amendment proposed by U.S. Steel, Signature Homes and the city of Hoover before it goes to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday.

Numerous residents thanked Signature Homes President Jonathan Belcher for working to develop a compromise plan they say is much improved from a proposal presented by U.S. Steel last year.

But they still have significant concerns about U.S. Steel’s desire to change the zoning on land across from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium from industrial zoning to a “planned commercial” use.

Last year, U.S. Steel wanted to rezone 110 acres from industrial zoning to a commercial zone that would allow things such as hotels and offices. The new plan would take the 65 acres closest to the Chestnut Ridge neighborhood and rezone it for residential use, with no more than 80 houses there. That would leave only the 45 acres along Stadium Trace Parkway being rezoned for commercial use, Belcher said.

Opposition to commercial development

But residents who spoke up on Feb. 9 said they still are opposed to general commercial development that deep into Trace Crossings.

“The turkey is still on the table,” said Molly McGregor, a Trace Crossings resident who served as a spokeswoman for residents last year. “Bad commercial will hurt the neighborhood.”

Greg Williams, president of the Chestnut Ridge Homeowners Association, said residents are particularly concerned about the possibility of a hotel locating across from the Hoover Met.

McGregor said that kind of development belongs on John Hawkins Parkway and not in the midst of the 1,500 homes and three schools already in Trace Crossings.

She recommended city officials move ahead with other aspects of the rezoning plan but table the commercial zoning until U.S. Steel has a potential buyer for the property and can share their plans for it.

U.S. Steel also sought last year to have 82 acres at the intersection of South Shades Crest Road and Brock’s Gap Parkway rezoned from industrial to commercial use. However, the city of Hoover has agreed to buy 31.3 of those acres acres for $2 million with the idea of using some of it for a new Interstate 459 interchange.

The new zoning plan would take the other 51 acres and rezone it for residential use, with the understanding that it only be used as a common area (woods and perhaps trails) and not developed for houses, commercial or industrial use, Belcher said. Some residents said they liked that idea, but one man said he didn’t like that it would be deeded to the Trace Crossings Residential Association, with residents having to pick up the property taxes.

Signature Homes also proposed to deed another 67 acres along Stadium Trace Parkway (across from the Lake Wilborn community) over to the Trace Crossings Residential Association for use as a common area as well.

Annexation and more houses

Another large part of the rezoning plan would involve the city annexing 235 acres and adding it to the Trace Crossings development. The annexed land would serve several purposes.

First, it would allow Signature Homes to build another 341 houses in Trace Crossings, primarily on land between the city’s planned $80 million sports park and the Cahaba River. Combined with the 80 new houses to be built between Chestnut Ridge and the Hoover Met, that would be a total of 421 new houses for Trace Crossings.

Belcher and Hoover’s city administrator, Allan Rice, emphasized that those houses already have been approved in the master plan for U.S. Steel land holdings. Two hundred and eighty of the houses would be reallocated from U.S. Steel property south of Shelby County 52, and 141 of them would come from houses already approved for the Blackridge development.

The newly annexed land also would allow for a new layout for the sports fields to be built next to the Hoover Met. This will prevent the city from having to relocate a petroleum pipeline, thereby saving several million dollars, Rice said.

The newly annexed land also would allow for the construction of a new road between Hoover High School and Bumpus Middle School, providing a second way to access both schools. A third access road to Stadium Trace Parkway also is planned to be built between Trace Crossings and the sports complex.

Finally, another part of the rezoning proposal calls for Signature Homes to donate about 120 acres to the city for a passive park along the Cahaba River and about 38 acres for use with the sports park.

Bill Moulton, a resident of Chestnut Ridge, said he and his neighbors are very pleased with most of the rezoning plan. “I think they’ve made a major effort to create something the neighborhood can be pleased with,” he said.

But many residents said traffic on Stadium Trace Parkway and Brock’s Gap Parkway already is a problem and they can’t imagine what it will be like with nearly 2,000 more houses being built in Trace Crossings and the adjacent Blackridge community further south on Stadium Trace.

“We’re not ready for this,” Chestnut Ridge resident Gene Hertzog said.

Rice said city officials realize a problem already exists. They recently received some information from a traffic engineer that they hope will help them find some solutions, he said.

Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy said the proposed zoning changes do move some future students further north than originally anticipated, but the school system had already anticipated getting those children on the western side of Hoover.

The proposed zoning changes do not trouble her or raise red flags for her, she said. Plus, she is pleased at the opportunity to get more than one way in and out of Hoover High School, Trace Crossings Elementary and Bumpus Middle, she said.

The 11th amendment to the Trace Crossings development plan is scheduled to be considered by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission Monday. The commission has a work session at 5 p.m. Monday in a conference room behind the City Council chambers and an action meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers. Both meetings are open to the public, but there is very limited space in the conference room.