Council approves rezoning of Rex Lake parcel to agricultural to allow storage/ancillary building

Irondale City Council on July 1 adopted Ordinance 2025-11 to rezone a parcel at 1730 Rex Lake Road from R-1 (residential) to A-1 (agricultural).

Nut graf: The landowner described a long family ownership of the Rex Lake parcels, explained the near-term plan to construct a barn or storage structure and said the family plans to invest in roads, utilities and other infrastructure as they develop the property over time. The council held a public hearing; no members of the public spoke for or against the rezoning before the council closed the hearing and adopted the ordinance.

Details from the hearing The property owner told the council the parcel has been in the family about 75 years and that the family owns adjoining acreage, including land they plan to annex into Irondale after purchase of an adjacent 15-acre parcel. The owner said some infrastructure costs for developing the property — roadwork and electric service extensions — will be substantial and mostly paid by the owner. During the review staff and council discussed restroom needs for any facility and the owner signaled willingness to address that in permit review.

Council action After the public hearing the council voted to suspend rules to allow immediate consideration and then adopted Ordinance 2025-11. The mayor called for roll call during the final vote; council members recorded aye votes and the ordinance was adopted on the night’s agenda.

Next steps Development of any building and utilities on the rezoned parcel will require permitting and, where applicable, annexation procedures and utility-service arrangements. The owner said he will pursue annexation of additional acreage into Irondale in conjunction with planned development.