Tags
Cynthia Almond, David Griffin, Eddie Pugh, Glenda Webb, John McConnell, Kip Tyner, Lang Ray, Robin Edgeworth, Walter Maddox
On the Council agenda tonight will be a hearing on a housing development on Rice Mine Road that would be located near the Greystone neighborhood.
As Jason Morton reported in The Tuscaloosa News: “The public hearing will focus on the tentatively named ‘Waterfall’, a subdivision that is a collection of townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes planned for Rice Mine Road. Last month, the City Council annexed a 41.4-acre, L-shaped tract on Lake Tuscaloosa between the Greystone and Crown Pointe neighborhoods to accommodate the development.”
Today at the Pre-Council meeting Planning Services head John McConnell explained that the Planning and Zoning Committee had approved the development with the conditions that a restrictive covenant be submitted and that developers would meet with homeowners in the adjacent area.
The development has one entrance on Rice Mine Road, which is consistent with other subdivisions such as Greystone in the area.
Council member Cynthia Almond asked, “Assuming it passes tonight how are we going to deal with any other residential developments being planned in the area?”
McConnell said that, while the development had a low-density profile, that his “concern was that with increased density in the area that the infrastructure would not be capable of handling the traffic, with the pattern of single entrance developments, particularly with a nearby over-populated school.”
He said that City Engineer David Griffin would answer questions about storm drainage and traffic problems at the hearing tonight. But he said, “There is really no solution for the continued growth in the area. If property is already zoned R-1 you can’t do much about it. After all it has a lower density than Greystone, although the density is concentrated in smaller lots.”
(Later in a private discussion with Griffin, McConnell expressed concern over the location of housing dedicated to seniors in the development being located at a cul-de-sac. With my tongue-in-cheek I suggested that there be a medevac helliport located there. Going along with my attempt at humor he told Griffin that he might consider it.)
Another project that will be brought before the Council tonight is a six story mixed-use (commercial on the first floor) building at at 2140 Fourth Street. It is a First Paramount project, who are the developers of the eight story The Desoto which is to be built near City Hall.
There will be a private parking lot adjoining the building with 74 spaces. The fact that the project will have 106 bedrooms was a concern of Council member Eddie Pugh.
The new Greater Downtown Plans will limit structures to no more than four stories. McConnell said, “The current overlay ordinance allows unlimited height and unlimited density with anything above the first floor residential. Any off-street parking requirements that the new zoning ordinance may have will need to strike a balance between commercial and residential requirements. Any permits for the proposed development need to be secured before the zoning changes go into effect.”
Council member Kip Tyner, who arrived late to the meeting, said that he had no more problems with the proposed development in Alberta by Lang Ray. Tyner said, “Most of the people are satisfied with what’s going on but one lady is still not happy. Lang went further than I thought he would. He agreed not to have any check cashing outfits, tattoo parlors or sales of tobacco or alcohol. But he also filed papers at the courthouse that would say that that anyone inheriting the property would have to abide with the conditions, the contractual obligation.” City Attorney Glenda Webb said that Lang had agreed to a “restrictive covenant.” Tyner said, “I’m very pleased.”
The $20,000 contract that the city was authorizing with the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School for the City’s Resource and Incident Management System was the result of the previously used software no longer being supported by its designer. A computer science team at the University will design new software that will be used to cope with responding to natural and man-made disasters.
At the Projects Committee Robin Edgeworth said that the City can apply for the third time for a Tiger Grant to build the vehicular and pedestrian Hilliard Bridge. The bridge would cost $26 million and require matching funding of $5.2 million.
Mayor Maddox said that this would be a local project and possibly partners could be found to help fund it. Druid City Hospital, Tuscaloosa County and the University of Alabama might help fund it but the ultimate responsibility would be the City’s.
Kip Tyner asked that consideration be postposed until April. The deadline for submitting the grant application is April 28th.