Preliminary plat for The Village at Highland Lakes Phase 3 approved

The Shelby County Planning Commission tonight approved the preliminary plat for 24 new lots in The Village at Highland Lakes.

The request, submitted by Scott Vaughn of Arrington Engineering, would subdivide 19.75 acres in Phase 3, Sector 1 into 24 lots. The property to be subdivided is located at the end of Highland Village Trail.

Shelby County Planner Josh Cameron presented the case, noting that The Village at Highland Lakes came before the planning commission in April, requesting another plat approval for a pool and cabana location. The planning commission approved that request, and those items are part of Phase 3 of the development, Cameron said.

Of the lots in this sector, a majority will be 63 feet wide with 15-foot setbacks, and two will be 90 feet wide with 20-foot setbacks, Cameron said. The plat also includes 10 acres of common area, which will include the pool, cabana and a detention pond.

Commissioner Michael O’Kelley asked the applicant about whether a walking trail was still planned in this phase. The trail, he said was shown on the Master Plan but not the preliminary plat. Vaughn said that the trail had not been included on preliminary plats, but was still planned for the development. He started to add that they were not going to be built along with Phase 3, but developer Doug Eddleman said they’d be willing to build the trail earlier in the process if needed. 

Commissioner Bob Land asked Vaughn if they would use best management practices, as the development is located in the Coosa River Basin. Land said that while they have always followed those practices, he wanted to ask for the record, to confirm. 

“The ADEM permits all require that, and we’re always in compliance with our ADEM permits,” Vaughn said.

There was no one in the audience to speak in favor or against the request, and the planning commission voted unanimously to approve the preliminary plat.

Also at the meeting, the planning commission:

• Approved a final plat to create a rural subdivision to be known as Walter’s Estates, located off of 8411 South Main Street in unincorporated Shelby County, just outside of Wilsonville. The subdivision would include four 10-acre lots.
• Approved a final plat for a resubdivision of Washington Estates, located at 429 Highway 63, located outside of Calera.
• Approved the minutes from its May 7 meeting, with O’Kelley abstaining.

The next planning commission will be June 4 at 6 p.m.