Chelsea Council adopts overlay district

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After a brief public hearing on Feb. 19, the Chelsea City Council voted to adopt the overlay district zoning ordinance for U.S. 280 and Old Highway 280.

The project, which is being funded by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) and the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Building Communities Program, was first introduced in mid-2018. The overlay district includes about 933 acres in Chelsea that front either highway or are on frontage roads abutting the highways.

The overlay’s standards include restrictions on how far buildings are set back from the road; first floor height and windows; permitted materials and design elements; parking lot and driveway design; stormwater drainage; landscaping and fencing; and screening of loading docks, HVAC units and trash bins.

Existing single-family properties have been “grandfathered” from the overlay district, meaning they will not have to comply with district guidelines unless a major renovation or change in use and zoning occurs.

The goal is to achieve a more uniform, main street feel.

After the ordinance was approved, Mayor Tony Picklesimer thanked Lindsey Puckett and Maria Hines of the Regional Planning Commission for their work on this project.

Also at the Feb. 19 meeting, two new members were approved to join the Planning Commission. With one previous member rolling off and the other, Chris Smith, moving to join the Board of Zoning and Adjustments, Burt Seitz and Billy Sanders will take their place. Seitz will take over the remainder of Smith’s term and Sanders was appointed to a full term.

“Crystal [Etheridge, the city clerk,] put a notice on Facebook requesting people to send in applications if they were interested in serving the city in this capacity,” said Mayor Tony Picklesimer. “It was good to see all the people that sent applications in, and we will keep them on file as these appointments happen from time to time.”

Other resolutions approved include:

  • An amended resolution to allow the city of Chelsea to self-administer with the Alabama Department of Revenue to collect rental and lodging taxes levied by the city.
  • A contract with CivicPlus for a website redesign for the City of Chelsea. Mayor Picklesimer said the new site will be cleaner and more functional than the current one.
  • An authorization to open a new account with Cadence Bank. This account will be interest-bearing and keep the money safe so there is no money in the city treasurer’s office. Picklesimer said, “We want to make the most of the money we have and be good stewards.”
  • Four annexation ordinances were submitted and approved for the properties at 230 Dorough Road (3.12 acres), 392 Forest Lakes Drive (0.18 acres) and two parcels at 7179 Highway 51 (17.07 acres and 30.56 acres).
  • A proclamation declaring the week of Feb. 23 as Arbor Week and Feb. 23 as Arbor Day. An Arbor Day celebration will be held Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chelsea Community Center.

The next Chelsea City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 5, with pre-council at 5 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6 p.m.