Planning and Zoning Commission approves Ivory Bluff townhomes, denies Hargrove commercial rezoning; several subdivisions approved

The Tuscaloosa Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, approved a mix of rezonings, subdivisions and an annexation request while continuing or denying others after public comment and staff presentations.

Top actions included approval of an RPD rezoning, subdivision and alley vacation for a townhouse project dubbed Ivory Bluff near the McFarland Boulevard East interchange; approval of several routine lot-split and resurvey plats; approval of a rezoning and companion five-lot subdivision on Fifth Avenue East; approval of an annexation request for a Hargrove Road property but a recommendation against rezoning that parcel to general commercial; and a continuance of the River Bluff subdivision and annexation case at the developer’s request.

Why it matters: The decisions will change how several properties may be developed — allowing higher-density housing in some places while keeping other parcels residential or in county jurisdiction. The Hargrove decision highlights tension citywide between property owners’ development plans and adjacent neighbors concerned about traffic, buffering and neighborhood character.

What the commission decided (high-level)

- Ivory Bluff (RPD; townhomes; alley vacation): The commission approved a rezoning to Riverfront Planned Development, the associated subdivision for 20 townhouse lots and one common open-space lot, and the vacation of a 0.05-acre public alley. The developer described a courtyard-oriented project with brick and cementitious materials, two-car and tandem garages and an HOA-managed central amenity; the architect said three-story massing is recessed in the roofline so buildings read as two stories from the street.

- Fifth Avenue East (Z17-25 / S6325, ML Harper No. 2): The commission approved a rezoning from SFR-1 to MR-1 for a 0.84-acre property and the companion five-lot subdivision. Staff and the petitioner confirmed the project conforms to the city’s framework character map for a “traditional neighborhood edge.” Engineering agreed to allow the developer to post a bond for sidewalks at plat recordation and require sidewalk…