Landscaping will shield Homestead Village from US 11 view

By Chris Yow
Editor

TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council approved a recommendation from Mayor Buddy Choat at their city council meeting Tuesday night that will help improve the aesthetics on US 11. Blackwater Resources developer of Homestead Village, has agreed to change the method in which they will shield businesses in the shopping center from a brick wall to landscaping with bosque elm trees. The change comes after it was discovered that a wall could impede gas lines in the area.

A gas leak last year uncovered an issue with the retaining wall scheduled to be placed along US 11 behind Homestead Village shopping center. File photo

Councilman Jef Freeman said the Planning and Zoning board asked to see more detail in the plan, but agreed with Choat that the plan as presented was sufficient. Both Choat and Freeman spoke with Tutweiler subdivision’s homeowner’s association president Bill Lowery, and each said he was satisfied with the change.

The change is considered a minor change in plans and does not require the recommendation of the planning and zoning board.

“Early one one of the concerns was seeing the back of buildings and dumpsters,” Councilman Alan Taylor said. “But right now the way it is, you can’t see any of that.”

“I don’t want to circumvent planning and zoning” Taylor said. “But at the end of the day, it’s going to come back to us, regardless of what the recommendation is.”

The council approved several other items, including changing an ordinance to the downtown allowed uses table to include brew pubs and tap rooms. The change was met with support from audience members as well.

Other members of the audience spoke, including Jessie Odell, who asked the council to continue its discussion on the possibility of term limits for board members in the city. The council and several citizens discussed the matter in the council’s work session on Thursday night, but no action was taken in the meeting. Taylor asked that it be put on the next work session agenda to continue the conversation.