Photo by Caroline Miller
The Chelsea City Council meets at Chelsea City Hall on July 7.
Developer Connor Farmer of HighPointe Properties said he hopes to move forward with plans for a new 20-home subdivision next to Forest Parks in Chelsea by the end of this year, but the timetable is uncertain.
After the Chelsea City Council approved a rezoning request for the new subdivision on July 7, Farmer said he still needed to get a homebuilder committed for at least half of the lots before moving forward. Farmer said then he had a couple of months left in his contract period.
The request was to rezone 28 acres at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Essex Drive from an agricultural-residential district, which requires lots to be at least 10 acres, to an R-1 single-family residential district, which allows for lots down to 20,000 square feet.
Some Forest Parks residents said they had concerns about traffic on Essex Drive, which is the entrance for Forest Parks and will also be the entrance for the new subdivision.
The City Council voted 3-2 in favor of the rezoning, with Councilmen Scott Weygand, Chris Grace and Arthur Fisher Jr. voting in favor and Council Members Johnna Barnes and Casey Morris voting against.
Council President Scott Weygand said he believes this is a good, low-density use of land that fits well with the neighborhood. He also noted that the homeowners association for Forest Parks reached an agreement with the developer regarding many of their concerns.
Councilman Arthur Fisher Jr. said he carefully considered the concerns raised by residents and believed this will be a reasonable and controlled residential use of the property, particularly with conditions put on the developer.
“The development is limited to a maximum of 20 homes on approximately 28 acres and includes safeguards such as minimum lot sizes and widths, a 30-foot undisturbed buffer adjoining existing homes, a prohibition on blasting and further subdivision of the lots, and protection against construction-related road damage,” Fisher said.
Barnes said she was concerned about safety at the intersection of Essex Drive and U.S. 280.
“I used to have to drive it a lot when I was on a bus, which brought back thoughts of that, which was years ago, and I can’t imagine that it has gotten any better,” she said.
Mayor Cody Sumners said he discussed safety concerns with the Alabama Department of Transportation, which controls U.S. 280, and said the state had no plans to add a traffic light there.
Fisher said the traffic and safety concerns are legitimate, and he remains committed to working toward broader solutions.
Morris, in a Facebook post, said he continues to vote against requests to rezone agricultural-residential property because he believes that zoning exists to preserve Chelsea’s rural character, open spaces, natural resources and lower-density areas.
“Chelsea can continue to grow and prosper without sacrificing the qualities that make our community special,” Morris said. “These areas play an important role in maintaining the quality of life that attracts people to Chelsea in the first place.
Most importantly, Chelsea already has enough land designated for development to maintain its current growth rate of approximately 2.8% annually for the next seven years — without rezoning additional agricultural-residential property, Morris said.
“We do not have to choose between growth and preservation,” he said. “We can achieve both by developing the land that has already been approved while protecting the areas intended to remain agricultural and low-density.”
