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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – The city of Chelsea is beginning to make strides towards a potential big retail development just off of U.S. Highway 280 that will bring many businesses to the city.

The plans for a lot that will go by the name of the Chelsea Plaza is a retail center sitting off of Hwy 280 eastbound near the intersection of Chesser Plantation Lane and the highway. The center will host numerous businesses and restaurants, and is expected to be a popular commodity in the city should it be fully approved.

The Chelsea Plaza is planned to be a 13.34-acre development that acts as a shopping center for the city. Located in the heart of through-traffic in Chelsea, will be located at 16485 U.S. Highway 280, with plans to host many big-name businesses on the space’s pads and leased plots, with the plots being anywhere from 1,500 to 25,000 square feet.

Even though the property’s development is still in its beginning stages, moves have been made by both the Chelsea Planning and Zoning Commission and the Chelsea City Council.

On Feb. 27, the Chelsea Planning and Zoning Commission approved a preliminary plat for the property, specifically for the infrastructure on the lot. The retail development has been in the works for a long period of time, however, the preliminary plat approval was the first step.

However, the approval request was not for the property in its entirety, but instead just the road that will lead onto the development.

“Keep in mind, the specific request has to do with the road, the storm drainage, the water and sewer, and also (the engineers are) going to grade that and prepare it,” said Keith Hager, city engineer for Chelsea during the meeting. “Once those retail developments come, they’ll come back for site plan approval to this board, where we’ll talk about the 280 overlay district and other specifics of each one of the sites.”

After reviewing the plans for the engineering of the road, the preliminary plat was unanimously approved by the commission for Moiz Foulad, the owner, and his team to move forward in the process.

The development continued making strides during a regularly scheduled Chelsea City Council meeting on May 6 when the council approved a proposed resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a maintenance agreement for a traffic signal at the intersection of Chesser Plantation Lane and Hwy 280.

An execution of a permit was requested by the Alabama Department of Transportation, prompting a resolution for the traffic signal. It was then unanimously approved by the council, causing it to become effective.

While the installation of the traffic signal at the plot’s entrance will not be paid for by the city of Chelsea, it will keep up with the maintenance of it following the completion of its construction, with Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer stating that it was absolutely necessary to place the light in that spot in order to make traffic more organized in that portion of the city.

More updates on the development of the Chelsea Plaza will be posted at Shelbycountyreporter.com.