Annexation request for 1749 Columbia Road stalls after neighbors raise runoff and flooding concerns

A request to annex a wooded parcel at 1749 Columbia Road into Homewood so a developer could build four single-family houses drew strong neighborhood opposition and did not advance after a planning-commission committee vote on Feb. 3.

Developer Jim Hoy (identified in the meeting as the applicant) told the planning committee he bought the parcel about 14 months ago and proposed four roughly 2,500-square-foot homes with two-car garages. He said prior versions of the plan had proposed more units but that the current layout reduces grading and runoff. The developer said utilities would be extended to serve the lots and that he and his engineers plan to use underground retention and cisterns to manage stormwater.

Multiple neighbors told the committee they already experience recurring flooding and property damage tied to runoff from the hillside. A resident at 1741 Woodbine said her house flooded five times and that previous remedial work had been done at her expense; Zeke Hill, who lives immediately downhill, described a large, perennial retention pit near his house and said any additional runoff or earthwork poses a risk to foundations. Other neighbors said the slope is steep, the lots sit above narrow backyards, and construction would require substantial tree removal and excavation.

Planning staff explained the annexation process for parcels adjacent to another municipality: state-adjacent-jurisdiction notice and a 90-day publication requirement must be satisfied before a public hearing can be held. Committee members and residents discussed whether Homewood or Jefferson County approval would better protect neighbors; staff noted that, if the parcel stayed in unincorporated Jefferson County, county approvals could proceed without Homewood oversight.

Committee members asked for a conceptual engineering plan to demonstrate how drainage, grading and foundation protection would be handled before scheduling a public hearing. The applicant said engineers had prepared topography and concept analyses but had not completed detailed stormwater designs because a successful annexation would be a prerequisite to full engineering expense.

A motion to set a public hearing and move the annexation forward was made but failed on a 0-3 vote in committee. Members cited the need for more detailed engineering information and the neighborsexpressed fear of further flooding and structural damage. Because the committee did not set a hearing and did not forward the item, the annexation request will not proceed to the council on the current schedule.