Pelham council takes first step on rezoning 104 acres near Oak Mountain State Park amid resident objections

A public hearing during the Pelham City Council's Jan. 6 meeting centered on a developer's request to rezone roughly 104 acres along Oak Mountain State Park Road from A1 and R1 to RG (residential garden home).

City staff and the applicant, Randy Goggins of Pelham 157 LLC, described the proposed neighborhood as a low-density, clustered project with about 225 homes, lot sizes ranging from about 7,000 square feet to roughly one acre, two access roads (one on Oak Mountain State Park Road and one on Highway 33) and a redesigned entrance. Andre Bittas, a city staffer, told the council the Planning Commission on Nov. 14, 2024 forwarded the request without recommendation.

Goggins said the plan had been revised to expand a roadside buffer to 100 feet and to preserve and add trees along the frontage. “We’ve gone to a 100 foot buffer, and we’re gonna leave all the trees that are there. We’re gonna add trees in there,” he said, describing changes to pull lots out of the buffer and hide most houses in a valley on the property.

Residents at the hearing pressed the developer and city staff on several technical and community questions. Jasmine Gagne asked whether the larger buffer removed lots or only reduced lot sizes; staff and the developer confirmed some lots were removed and the project would be evaluated against any updated city detention and retention regulations when formal plans and grading studies are submitted. On drainage, the developer said a detention pond is planned at the southern end of the property and that houses would not be placed in flood-prone locations.

Traffic was a recurring concern. Charles Cochran, a traffic consultant, said the study covered four intersections (the two proposed accesses and two nearby signals), and that while the project adds traffic “we’re adding traffic to all four of those intersections,” his firm did not find the volumes would warrant a traffic signal. He said engineers recommend a southbound right-turn lane at the northern access and additional turn lanes at the accesses. “It does not warrant a traffic signal,” Cochran said.

Multiple residents warned of the development’s effect on the Oak Mountain State Park corridor, bicycle safety, and the character and value of nearby neighborhoods. Marty Gilbert questioned whether construction would require large-scale clear-cutting, noting the comprehensive plan’s direction toward low-impact development. Others expressed concern about school capacity; the city manager said the school system uses a formula to estimate students from new housing and that staff had contacted the school board to compare numbers.

City staff and the developer also clarified acreage and zoning: the overall property totals roughly 243–248 acres, and the rezoning request covers about 104 acres split into two parcels described in the ordinance text. The council recessed the meeting for the public hearing and returned to order after questions; the ordinance was presented as a first reading and will return to the council for final action at a future meeting (the mayor indicated the next vote will be Jan. 22, 2025).

No formal rezoning vote took place on Jan. 6; the council limited action to the public hearing and the ordinance’s first reading. The full ordinance text (Ordinance 135266) was made available at Pelham City Hall and online.