Trussville denies Glendale Farms development

TRUSSVILLE -- The long-discussed Glendale Farms Preserve development in Trussville has been denied. 

The Trussville City Council on Aug. 9 denied the development by a 3-1 vote. Councilmembers Perry Cook, Jaime Melton Anderson and Ben Short voted against the development. Alan Taylor was the lone yes vote. Lisa Bright recused herself from the vote. 

The vote had been delayed May 19 and June 14. The 251-acre Glendale Farms development, which would have included 419 homes and a fourth city elementary school, went back to the Planning and Zoning Board for review July 11. The Planning and Zoning Board is tasked with making recommendations to the city council on all zoning and annexation matters.  

According to Short, the developer in June agreed to shift its phasing to build single-family detached units at the same time as the townhomes. The developer also agreed to a 25 percent reduction in townhomes, bringing the total number of townhomes to 43. Additionally, the landscaping and exteriors of the townhomes will be maintained and kept up by the Homeowners Association. The developer also agreed to remove “Carrington” from the development name.

The Glendale Farms discussion has been ongoing for months in Trussville. On May 10, the city council held a first reading of the rezoning ordinance, which was met by nearly two hours of discussion. Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill was one of the first to speak at that meeting, noting the importance of 21 acres of “free land” designated for a fourth elementary school to ease overcrowding at Paine Elementary School.

“That allows us to fast-track our plans from 2019 forward in the pre-planning stages to go forward quicker with the elementary school,” Neill said at the time. “I want to reiterate that since 2019 we’ve been looking for a place, and when the developers offered the land for the fourth elementary school, that could launch us into the planning stage.”

The Trussville City Hall council chambers were packed once again Aug. 9, with many Carrington Lakes residents voicing opposition to the development.

“Trussville is changing at a pace too fast for some of us,” said one resident. “Please don’t be fooled into thinking this is a good development. We don’t need this type of development on this beautiful land.”

Carrington Lakes Homeowners Association President Ron Hill also spoke Aug. 9, much about rising loan and construction costs, “lackluster aesthetics” and “sagging prices.”

“We know this development is a square peg in a round hole,” he said. “Their goal is not to build a community. Their goal is to make money.”

One other topic heavily discussed throughout the process was a proposed bridge to Glendale Farms to be constructed over the railroad tracks that have long blocked residents of Carrington, Stockton, Camp Coleman Road and other areas from leaving their neighborhoods. The projected $3.5 million bridge would have been financed with $1.75 million from the city of Trussville and the remainder from Jefferson County.

Other than traffic and location concerns, the type of homes was the main point of contention for Carrington residents. Included in the Glendale Farms proposal are brownstones, townhomes, and cottages, types of high-density homes that many in Carrington oppose. 

Redmont Consulting Group Managing Partner Doug Neil, who has consulted on the development, said the goal has been to create a unique destination to enhance Trussville’s character. He said the proposal included 419 residential units, a 24.6-acre school site, 107 acres of open space/greenways, 15,000 square feet of commercial property, and a new connection to U.S. Highway 11. 

“We have worked very, very hard over the past 18 months to address those from a planning perspective,” Neil said. “It is still a classically designed, walkable community.”

He said there would be seven price points for homes, ranging from $325,000 to $800,000, with a projection of $36.9 million in tax revenues for the city over the next 25 years, $20 million of which would be dedicated to Trussville City Schools.

Trussville’s Planning and Zoning Board in April voted 5-4 to send a negative recommendation of the development to the city council. Short is a part of that board.

“My stance on the proposed development remains unchanged, but it is extremely evident that our city has an immediate need for an additional elementary school,” Short said after the May 10 city council meeting. “Should this proposal pass, a school will be located on the donated land at Glendale Farms. Should this proposal not pass the council, school board and city administration need to identify suitable site locations ASAP to address the future growth our city continues to have. Growth is good, but controlling and being strategic about the nature of that growth is more important now than ever before.”

For now, the Glendale Farms property will remain zoned as industrial. Taylor, the lone councilmember who voted for the development, said he wished the farm could remain as it is, that he could simply buy it and preserve it, but the property owner wants to sell it. 

“It’s going to be sold to somebody, because the family wants to sell it,” he said. 

Engineering Design Group President David Stovall, a Trussville resident involved in the development, said that it was a responsible development and the notion that it was “too dense is just ridiculous.”

“At the end of the day, anybody that’s being honest can’t say that they would have an industrial usage on that property adjacent [to Carrington.]”

One Carrington Lakes resident, an Indianapolis transplant who moved to Trussville just two weeks ago, spoke about the “beautiful farm” and greenspace.

“It just touched my heart, the landscape,” she said. “I can’t imagine it being pillaged.” 

Glendale Farms remains preserved. For now.