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The city of Alabaster is updating its new comprehensive plan, entitled “Blueprint Alabaster,” and provided residents a chance to provide in-person feedback during a public meeting on Tuesday, March 4. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A stormy evening did not stop Alabaster residents from gathering at City Hall to provide feedback on what they want to see from the city in the near future during a meeting on the city’s new comprehensive plan.

The city of Alabaster is updating its new comprehensive plan, entitled “Blueprint Alabaster,” and provided residents a chance to provide in-person feedback during a public meeting on Tuesday, March 4.

“We’re just getting community feedback, buy-in, as to what the city can potentially look like in the future,” Mayor Scott Brakefield said. “There are a lot of big ideas here on these boards covering all of the topics of city growth. We’re just super excited to see the turnout, anxious to see the feedback and hopefully everything goes smoothly.”

The Blueprint Alabaster Comprehensive Plan will serve as the framework to develop specific strategies and actions that will address issues regarding land use, future growth and development, transportation, housing and infrastructure and public services.

The plan is intended to assist elected officials with decision-making over the next 15 years by providing a set of action-based strategies and policies that are feasible for implementation. The last time the city formed a comprehensive plan was in March of 2016 when it adopted the Alabaster Forward plan.

The city has been working with the Regional Planning Commission of the Greater Birmingham Area on the new plan and has been receiving input from a variety of community stakeholders to help in creating a draft.

A public input meeting was first held on the new plan in March 2024 where attendees offered input at information boards and on drawings that were placed on tables. Afterward, the Regional Planning Commission held online surveys and the team looked into existing conditions. The city and the commission are now finalizing the plan as a draft for review by the public. Once complete, the Alabaster City Council will vote on the final version of the plan in May.

On March 4, 2025 the Regional Planning Commission of the Greater Birmingham Area provided an in-depth presentation on a draft of the plan and allowed residents to provide feedback.

As of March 2025, the Regional Planning Commission has received 602 community survey responses, 103 comments on maps and 116 comments from the kickoff meeting.

The Blueprint Alabaster plan is guided by the following five principles:

• Link utility infrastructure capacity and growth
• Coordinate land use and transportation decisions
• Promote housing variety
• Ensure access to recreational opportunities
• Support community character through context-sensitive design

The current draft of the plan is subdivided by seven chapters which explore an overview of the plan, future land use, livability and public services, parks and recreation, code reform and implementation.

Included in the plan is a heavy emphasis on transportation and transportation improvements. The commission is working with Kimley-Horn and Associates as a subconsultant to assist in handling the transportation aspect of the plan which recommends improvements to intersections in the city.

The following intersections and roads are under consideration for improvement:

• U.S. 31 at Industrial Road – Extension of turning storage capacity
• U.S. 31 at Highway 119 – Service road U-turn or Simmsville Road realignment
• Highway 119 at Thompson Road – The addition of right turn lanes for east bound and southbound
• Highway 119 at Fulton Springs Road- Improved signal operations
• Highway 119 at Kent Dairy Road – Widening of road for dedicated lane for each movement
• Highway 119 at Smokey Road – Restriping
• U.S. 31 at Colonial Promenade – Improved signal operations
• 1st Ave. West at Thompson Road – Improved turning lanes and the removal of signal
• Thompson Road at Warrior Drive – improved signal operations, upgraded turn lanes and reconfiguration of northbound approach
• Warrior Drive at Kent Dairy Road – Reconfiguration of southbound approach and addition of a turn lane
• Warrior Drive at Thompson Middle School – Road widening for a lane addition
• 1st Ave. west –  realignment
• Interstate 65 – feasibility study for a future interchange
• Traffic signal maintenance – Proactive traffic signal maintenance and timing

In the plan, Kimley-Horn and Associates recommends the city initiate a traffic signal maintenance program to better coordinate traffic signals along streets and Highway 119.

Included in the Blueprint Alabaster plan are recommendations for the city’s approach to future land use which is broken down into three areas: Targeted Growth Areas, Sustainable Growth Areas and Controlled Growth Areas.

Targeted Growth Areas include locations that are targeted for future mixed-use development and include, Siluria Mill District, historic Main Street, Simmsville area and U.S. 31.

Sustainable Growth Areas include spaces where existing infrastructure and services can be maximized to support existing and new residential areas, new commercial and industrial development and infill development and redevelopment. In the plan, the Regional Planning Commission recommends the city encourage the infill development of vacant sites and the redevelopment of older shopping centers. Additionally, the plan suggests Alabaster require the underground placement of utilities in large-scale redevelopment projects and encourages the development of parking and vacant lots into commercial areas. The plan also outlines the development of viable senior living centers that are integrated into surrounding neighborhoods.

Controlled Growth Areas limit the conversion of underdeveloped greenfield land and require adequate infrastructure to be in place or built concurrently. Goals for Controlled Growth Areas include the protection of farmlands, steep slopes, waterways and scenic areas from inadvertent damage due to future development as well as the devotion of land at the periphery of the city for estate and large-lot development.

Alongside the public meeting, the Regional Planning Commission is hosting a public survey for Alabaster residents to fill out online. Those that missed the public meeting can still submit their input on the city’s future by participating in the survey before it closes on Friday, April 4.

Those interested in reviewing the draft of Blueprint Alabaster or would like to submit their feedback to the city may visit Blueprintalabaster.com.

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