Map courtesy of the city of Hoover.
A modified plan for 33 acres in Tattersall Park calls for 170 apartments for people age 55 and older and 120-126 other multifamily units, 30 to 36 of which would be condos. The plan also includes a 125-room hotel, 7,000 square feet available for retail stores, likely three restaurant spaces and 7 acres of green space.
Ebsco Industries has had its eye on the Tattersall Park property near Greystone since the 1980s.
The company bought the vacant land from Daniel Corp. in 1989 with covenants on the property that required the land to be used for commercial purposes only.
Ebsco got approval from the city of Hoover to add residential uses to the mix in 2002, but when the economy soured and nothing was done, the mixed-use zoning that had been approved went away and the property reverted to its previous zoning, which did not allow for residential use.
This October, Ebsco asked the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission to alter the plans again and allow more than 300 multi-family residential units as part of a mixed-use plan for 33 acres of land left undeveloped in Tattersall Park, but nearby residents in Greystone and some other communities objected, saying they prefer the property be used for commercial purposes.
At the request of Ebsco and development partner CR-Endeavors, the zoning board continued the case to give the developers time to meet with opponents and try to reach a more satisfactory plan.
The case was scheduled to come back to the zoning board on Nov. 12, but developers sought another continuance until Dec. 9 to give more time for revisions and discussion.
In mid-November, the developers shared a modified plan. It called for 170 apartments for people age 55 or older, but the number of other multifamily units was reduced from 137.5 units to 120 or 126 multifamily units, and 30 to 36 of those units would be condos instead of apartments, spokesman David Davis said.
Ashley Lovell, a Greystone resident who has led opposition to Ebsco’s plan thus far, said developers told her that if the units now proposed as condos sell well enough, the developers might consider converting more apartments into condos.
Also, she said a parking study was pending, but developers indicated some other proposed commercial space may be reduced to provide additional parking and that one of the proposed buildings might house a Hoover Public Library branch.
A planned 125-room hotel likely would be five stories tall, and condo buildings would be three to four stories tall, Lovell said. There would be 7,000 square feet available for retail stores and likely three restaurant spaces, she said.
Lovell said that, for her, the revisions are not enough and that she is not in favor of the traditional apartments proposed. However, she is sharing the revised plan with residents of Greystone and other nearby communities and wants residents to voice their thoughts about the revisions in a new survey.
She and others have created a website called Greystone.org that has a Tattersall Park tab with additional information about the status of the Tattersall Park plan, as presented to residents by developers. A link to that survey will be on that website, she said.
The zoning case is slated for consideration by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 at Hoover City Hall. The zoning board also has a work session at 5 p.m. that is open to the public, but decisions don’t come until the action meeting at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to ask questions and comment.
