By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

HOOVER – Plans for a new residential development in Hoover progressed as the Hoover City Council approved a rezoning request for the roughly 1,519-acre property June 6.

The request, submitted by Jonathan Belcher with Blackridge Partners, LLC, calls for the property located east of South Shades Crest Road, north of the Cahaba River and between Stadium Trace Parkway and Shelby County 52 to be rezoned from Agricultural (A-1) and Not Zoned (NZ) to Planned Unit Development (PUD).

The property is owned by Blackridge Partners, LLC, and Riverwoods Holdings, LLC, and the development will be called “Blackridge.”

In a public hearing lasting about 30 minutes of the two-hour council meeting, Belcher discussed the parameters of the project.

The original proposal allotted for a maximum density of 3,382 homes, Belcher said, but plans now call for a reduction of roughly 2,000 homes, allowing for fewer, larger home sites anchored by a 100-acre recreation lake in a gated community.

“We are extremely excited about this,” Belcher said. “We think it will be a great addition to the city.”

If 1,800 or more homes are built in the development, a school site must be built, he said. A fire station would be built when the fire department deems it necessary.

Hoover City Schools Superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy addressed the City Council and said she looks forward to an opportunity for the city and Board of Education to come together and talk about long-term strategic planning with future developments, such as Blackridge.

“Whatever happens in our city has a tremendous impact on us as a school district,” Murphy said. “What kind of school district do we want to have?”

Based on the school system’s calculations, 2.7 homes are the equivalent of one child coming from the homes to Hoover City Schools. At the time of Blackridge’s full completion, Murphy said, the district will be past capacity at the high school level.

Belcher said the development would bring about 460 new students to the school system. If all homes in the project are constructed, enrollment at the high school level would reach about 5,288, which is past optimal capacity.

“I certainly don’t want to stymie that progress,” Murphy said of Blackridge and similar developments. “We are going to have to be thoughtful about how we can facilitate and accommodate (more students).”

In other business, the City Council approved two more rezoning requests following public hearings for each.

First, the city received the green light to rezone the 6.63 acres it owns of a Hoover Met Resurvey lot located at 1000 RV Trace from Agricultural (A-1) to Community Business District (C-2) for the construction of a building for the new Hoover Sportsplex.

The City Council also approved a request from Daniel W. Braden with Braden Properties II, LLC, to rezone four lots located at 3428, 3432, 3436 and 3440 Sierra Drive from Neighborhood Shopping District (C-1) to Community Business District (C-2) to provide additional parking for the King Acura and Tameron Honda automobile dealerships.

The property is owned by Anne H. Sarrels, James O. Bendall and Albert Lee Bendall and William M. and Lena T. Willoughby.