/City Council addresses new business developments

City Council addresses new business developments

When the Montevallo City Council reconvened on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. citizens raised their concerns about arising developments in the area. 

The meeting began with a public hearing regarding a request from Chris Reebals, on behalf of Montevallo Cottages LLC. This request was to change zoning districts from R-2 SD to R-4 SD for construction of multi-family housing.

According to Mayor Hollie Cost, the Planning Commission reviewed the request on Jan. 16 and recommended City Council not approve the change.

Ultimately, the Montevallo Cottages proposal was not passed. 

A public hearing regarding a request from Paul Widman, on behalf of property owner Brenda Zigarelli, for the approval of the Bluegrass Apartments development plan also took place. 

When opened to public comment, several citizens voiced their concerns, including water drainage issues, increased traffic and effect on property values. 

The council decided to approve the construction of the Bluegrass development with a 4-2 vote.

Councilmen Rusty Nix and Arthur Hebert voted against the site development plan. Hebert expressed that he had concerns about the development’s impact on nearby property values.

The City Council then heard a presentation from Ammersee Lakes developer Tom Bagley, who wants to divide the cost of repaving roads.

“My proposal is for us to divide the costs,” said Bagley. “We put repair into the first sector and the second sector and work out a situation where we can all work together.”

The City Council heard his request, but opted to table the discussion for a later date.

The council also unanimously passed three other ordinances at this meeting.

The first declared April 2020 as Beautification Month, to coincide with other initiatives like Love Montevallo Day. The other ordinances approved a Boys & Girls Club sign and accepted the bicentennial park site from Montevallo Development Cooperative District.

There were also a few recognitions given out. The first was a recognition to the city from Tree City USA, a program with the Arbor Day Foundation, for reaching 27 years of membership. Then, Mayor Cost and Montevallo High School’s principal Steve Bromley recognized seniors in Scholar’s Bowl for qualifying for their state competition.

The Montevallo City Council will meet again on Monday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. All city council meetings are open to the public.

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Ariel Hall is a writer for The Alabamian. She is a senior communication studies major and enjoys reading and photography in her free time. Previously, Zoe has acted as editor in chief, lifestyles editor and advice columnist.