Created and maintained by Thomas Myers >> VISIT

June 3, 2008                                                    Download printer-friendly version [PDF]

Dear Spring Hill Supporter,

Thanks to your input and support over the last three years the Plan for Spring Hill is complete and will be presented to the Planning Commission for a vote on June 19th.  The Village of Spring Hill has been working with the city and landowners to make changes to the plan to accommodate as many concerns as possible. We believe the final result is a plan that is a sound economic model guiding future development in Spring Hill. We have taken the suggestion of some of the landowners and made the entire ordinance optional. This means that property owners and developers will have the choice to develop under this zoning or not.

1. There is a multimillion dollar development planned for the Old Shell Road and McGregor Avenue area. This development will not be allowed without approval of the zoning being proposed to the Planning Commission in June.
   
   
2. The CVS development is on track waiting for variance approvals.
   
   
3. The sidewalks down Old Shell Road are designed, ready for bid, and construction is planned to begin sometime this summer.

In spite of all the positive things happening in our community there has been a great deal of misinformation being circulated regarding the plan and we are committed to setting the record straight. Some people are saying this neighborhood-friendly type development will never work in Spring Hill. If similar plans have been successfully implemented all over the nation WHY should it not be allowed in Spring Hill?

Your attendance at the June 19th 2:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting is essential to Spring Hill’s future. The entire success of our community’s plan rests in your hands. We need the auditorium packed with supporters in order to demonstrate to the city our community’s commitment.  Plan now to attend!    

The Village of Spring Hill wants you to know the truth! There is a great deal of misinformation circulating around the community, and we need your help and support to carry this project forward. Knowing the truth is the key…

FACT	The new zoning is completely optional.  Any property owner who wishes to operate under the old zoning can continue to do so.  No one is required to do anything.
FACT	There are developers waiting to build high-quality projects like those shown in the Blueprint, but they cannot do so until the new zoning passes the Planning Commission and City Council.
FACT	Neither the City nor the Village of Spring Hill, Inc. has ever planned to take anyone’s property to build roads, parking garages, or other facilities. All property remains under private ownership.
FACT	12 or 15-foot-wide “sidewalks” called for in the core areas are not suburban style sidewalks, but are the area between the building and the street (like downtown). This width allows for tree planting, benches, lighting, restaurant seating, and merchandising—plus pedestrians.
FACT	Parking garages are not required to be built anywhere and likely would not be. They are allowed to be built under today’s city zoning; the new zoning simply shields them from public view.
FACT	We are not increasing traffic with the zoning, and we are definitely not routing traffic through residential areas, either directly or indirectly.
FACT	On-street parking is not a part of the proposed new zoning. Instead, its viability will be evaluated by the City on a case-by-case basis as redevelopment occurs. Currently there is existing on-street parking in Spring Hill as well as elsewhere along Old Shell Road and throughout the City.
FACT	No one is planning to raise taxes to pay for anything. Other than minimal street changes, all development is on private property and would be paid for by that owner if/when they redevelop under the new zoning.
FACT	Spring Hill has tremendous potential, but this potential cannot be realized without providing developers the ability to build in a way that supports the goals of beautification, safety, and walkability.

CODING UPDATES SUMMARY - WE RESPONDED TO LANDOWNERS' CONCERNS WITH CHANGES TO THE CODE

Thanks for taking the time to read about the latest developments in the Village of Spring Hill’s revitalization efforts. There has been a great deal of misinformation and fear being spread throughout the community, and this update aims to set the record straight.

Our organization’s goal from day one has been to allow a more pedestrian friendly, aesthetically pleasing type of development to occur in Spring Hill’s limited commercial areas. Today, such development is not allowed by the City’s zoning and land use regulations.

Ordinances sponsored by Councilmembers Gina Gregory and Reggie Copeland initially aimed to make such a “main street” format mandatory within three small areas at the point in time when each piece of property was being redeveloped—not when bought, sold, repaired, or renovated, as was falsely claimed. No property was going to be taken and no property owner was going to be forced to do anything.

Based on these fears, however, The Village of Spring Hill, Inc., working with Dover, Kohl & Partners and the City of Mobile, has proposed a revised set of ordinances with a number of important changes:

• Optional Zoning:  The selection of the new zoning is optional at the sole discretion of the property owner. Any property owner that does not want to follow the new code can continue to operate under the old one. However, the many benefits of the new coding are reserved for those who elect to use it in its entirety; picking and choosing portions from each is not allowed.
  
  
• Commercial Access:  New roads and alleys through commercial areas have been removed in cases where they were opposed.  All other roads are clarified as optional but permitted. Decisions about whether and when to build new access connections are reserved for the property owners.
  
  
• Building Height:  A requirement for a minimum of two-story buildings in the core commercial areas has been removed.
  
  
• Parking Maximums:  Parking maximums have been increased by 20% to accommodate those who believe they need more parking. Substantially lower minimums still benefit owners who need less.

Neighborhood Traffic:  Neither the zoning nor the plan has ever advocated putting additional traffic through our neighborhoods, nor has it made any changes that would have inadvertently resulted in increased residential traffic.

Parking Structures:  A number of parking structures are shown on the Blueprint’s conceptual drawings. These are not required, and if ever built at all, would be at the discretion of the property owner. Parking structures are allowed by today’s city zoning, the new zoning aims to camouflage them with more attractive buildings. Parking structures are limited in height by today’s zoning codes.

General Traffic*:  Traffic can be heavy at times along the entire length of Old Shell Road. The City’s east-west capacity is inadequate for the growth occurring in West Mobile and contributes significantly to the traffic we experience on a daily basis. The Blueprint recommends that the City improve the traffic handling capacity of Airport Boulevard and Spring Hill Avenue / Zeigler Boulevard as a means to limit its impact on Spring Hill. Traffic plans within the Village of Spring Hill’s study areas are designed to not make the traffic worse than it would be otherwise.

Turn Lanes*:  Right turn lanes and acceleration lanes are a safety concern for pedestrians as they increase the speed at which people can pass the intersection. They also widen the intersection, making it more difficult and more dangerous for walkers, runners, and bicyclists to cross. Since these lanes are very lightly used—according to detailed traffic counts—the plan advocates converting them to on street parking or otherwise shortening or removing them.

On-Street Parking*:  The Blueprint advocates limited on-street parking as a way to slow traffic near Old Shell and McGregor while still not reducing overall volume. Old Shell Road has a number of existing on-street parking locations such as in front of the old Five Gold Monkeys building and near I-65, as well as at Sage Avenue, Florida Street, and Upham Street. Springhill Baptist Church uses on-street parking on Sundays on McGregor Ave. and of course, all of downtown Mobile relies on on-street parking. The feasibility and type of on-street parking will be determined by the City as each parcel is redeveloped.

Taxes For Redevelopment  No one is planning to raise taxes to pay for Village improvements. Redevelopment focuses on existing commercial properties and would be paid for by those property owners at the time they choose to follow the new zoning. Mention in the Blueprint about TIFs as a funding source is a longer term consideration that does not raise taxes. Instead, TIFs ensure that a portion of property taxes stays in the community.

Community Planning:  The Blueprint for Spring Hill is only a conceptual plan. It is simply a vision and a snapshot in time, for a future Spring Hill. It does not hold any particular regulating function, and future development will almost certainly occur differently than depicted in the Blueprint. The City maintains a number of plans of various purposes and vintages, and they are useful to look back upon—and update as changes are needed. But they serve as very important purpose in that they capture and document intent (not specifics). A preface page is being added to The Blueprint for Spring Hill to indicate that it is conceptual and does not obligate property owners in any way.

*  Not a consideration for the proposed new zoning; these are right-of-way issues that will be determined by the City at a later date.