HUNTSVILLE – The plethora of apartment buildings expanding into Huntsville neighborhoods has created anxiety and concern from residents and city officials.
To answer those concerns, the city’s Planning Commission approved a request to rezone specific residential areas from Resident 2A (R2A) to Residence 2 (R2) in a move to protect established residential subdivisions.
“The recommendation to move from R2A to R2 zoning eliminates the ability to create multifamily housing in a single-family environment,” said Manager of Planning Services Thomas Nunez. “The neighborhoods we selected have been fully developed as single-family residences, and the proposed rezoning aims to protect their established character from redevelopment pressures.”
Zoning is recognized as one of the most effective methods for shaping a community’s built environment. In the city’s BIG Picture Master Plan, one of the key policy recommendations was to implement zoning updates.
This critical planning component includes a review of existing land use, not only to identify areas along transportation corridors suitable for additional housing but also to reduce redevelopment pressure on single-family neighborhoods.
“The Big Picture Plan acknowledged that many areas within the city limits were assigned zoning designations decades ago, despite changing contexts over time,” said Dennis Madsen, manager of Long-Range Planning. “As a result, a comprehensive zoning policy review was recommended to assess whether current designations continue to serve the best interests of residents and businesses.”
To support this effort, the comprehensive plan includes a policy to conduct zoning designation reviews every 10 years, ensuring that future development aligns with existing zoning standards.
A key outcome of this initiative was the recommendation to the Planning Commission to rezone certain single-family areas from R2A to R2 to protect their character from redevelopment pressures.
“By maintaining single-family zoning, this action helps preserve neighborhood stability and ensures that future development remains consistent with the community’s character and the best interests of its residents,“ Nunez said. “This action further protects long-standing neighborhoods from potential redevelopment into apartment complexes.”
The City Council will be asked to provide final approval on the rezoning change following a public hearing on the recommendation at its regularly scheduled meeting on April 24.
For more information on the rezoning change, visit HuntsvilleAL.gov/r2rezoning.
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