Growth will go in a new direction
Panel OKs 178-lot project near A&M: 'ahead of the curve'
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Huntsville's housing boom is spreading north.
A city planning subcommittee approved plans Wednesday for a 178-lot subdivision north of Alabama A&M University.
Ed Starnes, chairman of the subdivision subcommittee, said that's the largest residential development for extreme north Huntsville in the 15 years he's been on the Planning Commission.
"It's good for Huntsville," he said. "I'm glad to see it because nothing much has been done east of the Parkway as far as residential developments of any significance in some time."
Hunter Homes is the developer. The 40-acre tract is east of Meridian Street and north of Hollow Road, roughly behind Bennett's Nursery.
Huntsville school board member Jennie Robinson, the school system's liaison on the city planning board, said the project should catch the attention of the school board.
"As soon as I leave here, I plan to call (Superintendent Dr. Ann Roy Moore) and tell her about it," Robinson said. "This is something she and the board need to know, particularly if it will spark some kind of development in that area that would impact schools."
Shawn Fairburn, a partner with the homebuilding company, said the area seems ripe for development. The land is scenic, sewer lines and other utilities are in place, and Memorial Parkway is easily accessible from the site. Fairburn said talk about a new Lee High School also weighed heavily in the decision on where to build.
"We feel there's an opportunity there that no one has taken advantage of yet," he said. "We believe we're getting ahead of the curve."
North Huntsville areas east of the Parkway are zoned for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Chapman Middle School and Lee High School.
The development will consist of single-family, detached homes. Houses will range from 1,200 to 3,400 square feet, with an average price of about $130,000 to $140,000, Fairburn said. The smaller homes may list in the low $90,000s, he said. Construction should start by spring, with the first phase ready for occupancy by next fall.
Robinson said Huntsville needs more affordable homes such as those Hunter Homes plans to build. Much of the city's housing growth in recent years has been in the Hampton Cove/Big Cove area in the southeast; the Zierdt Road/Martin Road area in the far west; and the Village of Providence development, which offers much more expensive home sites, in the far northwest.
In other action Wednesday, the subdivision committee approved layout plans for a 176-lot subdivision north of Harbin Road and east of Wall-Triana Highway in far northwest Huntsville.
© 2005 The Huntsville Times
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