Huntsville reaches out to Riverton along Flint River

106-acre annexation adds tax revenue, sets up future expansion

Friday, April 28, 2006

By JOHN PECK

Times Staff Writer jpeck@htimes.com

Huntsville has extended its city limits along a narrow sliver of the Flint River to a prime commercial development in the Riverton area of northern Madison County.

The annexation, approved Thursday night by the City Council, will mean more sales and property tax revenue for Huntsville and sets the stage for future annexations in the fast-growing area along the Winchester Road corridor.

The council annexed 106 acres along the Flint River from the Mount Carmel area to the Publix shopping complex under construction at Homer Nance and Winchester roads. The L-shaped shopping center, named Winchester Plaza, will have at least 10 stores with the 45,600-square-foot supermarket. Publix is scheduled to open this summer.

City planner Marie Bostick said the store developers requested the annexation for city services, mainly sewer. The annexation was approved with no discussion.

City Planning Director Dallas Fanning said most of the adjacent land along both sides of the river are platted residential and will probably remain in the county. He agreed that property owners closer to the growing development along Winchester may pursue annexation for access to city sewer. Petitioning landowners seeking the annexation include Enfinger Steele Development Corp., IRT Capital Corp., the Mount Carmel Homeowners Association and about a half-dozen individual property owners.

In a separate action Thursday night, the council authorized the purchase of two tracts along the Flint River from Enfinger Steele Development. Bostick said the property will be used for a city greenway. The tracts, totaling 14 acres, cost $130,000.

Bostick said the city's long-range greenways plan includes a greenway and canoe trail along the north side of U.S. 72.

However, Fanning said it may be years before a greenway is built along that section.

"We had an opportunity to purchase it and it's on the long-range plan, so we did it," he said.

Several other land actions were approved, including the rezoning of a 7-acre tract south of Research Park Boulevard and west of Blake Bottom Road for an Elks lodge, and the rezoning of 11 acres west of Zierdt Road and north of Nature's Way for a single-family attached development.