Residents urge Alexander City to re‑examine lakeside rezoning as RV park concerns mount

Edwin Eisworth, a Dogwood Circle resident, told the Alexander City Council on Dec. 8 that a vacant lot at the corner of Riverchase Road and Highway 280 has been stripped of trees and is now being developed as an RV park in the middle of a single‑family neighborhood. “A RV park is being built in the middle of a single family residential area,” Eisworth said, asking why the parcel had been rezoned to commercial and who authorized the development.

Don Killingsworth, another nearby resident, said the developer is planning 20 RV sites and raised specific health and safety concerns about sewage handling, stormwater runoff and impacts to docks and shoreline used by local homeowners and grandchildren who swim there. “My thing is, of course, that has to be dealt with by the county health department,” Killingsworth said, adding that he doubts the lot is even a full acre but that the developer intends to fit 20 sites on it.

Both speakers said the change represents a sharp departure from the surrounding area, where lots in that neighborhood have been single‑family residences for years. Eisworth and Killingsworth urged the council to protect the rights of existing homeowners and to provide specific information about ground rules, sewage plans and the standards that will govern the park.

Council members responded that the parcel had been rezoned in the past and that some of the zoning and permitting steps may have taken place before current council members were in office. One councilor noted that the lot had been advertised for public hearings at the time of rezoning. Councilwoman (unnamed in the record) said she had spoken with staff and that the property was already zoned, meaning it may not have needed a new zoning application, and indicated she would oppose such a project if it comes before the council for a vote in her district.

The council did not take immediate legislative action on the Riverchase/Highway 280 matter during the meeting. Officials said they would continue to look into the issue and follow up with residents. Separately, the council opened and closed a public hearing earlier in the meeting on a different rezoning request for a property on Naval Highway; no members of the public signed up to speak on that matter.

What happens next: Councilors said they will continue to investigate the questions residents raised about the lot’s zoning history, sewage and runoff plans and will notify the public if the matter returns to the agenda for formal action.