Mayor Unsure If McQueen Smith Road Apts. Will Be Income-Based Housing
People living in a neighborhood in Prattville say they’re concerned about what’s being built next door to them. Some say they’re not getting answers about exactly what’s going on.
Back in May, Prattville city leaders told us government housing would be put in a zoned property on McQueen Smith Road — about 160 units there. But after uproar from the neighborhood next door, that proposal was pulled down to zone for 90 units. Leaving residents with questions about who is moving in next door.
Bridgette Keaner lives in Pecan Ridge. She’s one of the residents in the neighborhood who have been concerned with what’s taking over this property next to her neighborhood.
“It’s made me even think about moving to my home town and moving out of Prattville,” Said Keaner.
She wants to move because city leaders have told her about 90 government housing units would be built here. But when we asked mayor, Bill Gillespie, who is also on the planning commission, if income-based housing would be coming there, he told us all he knows is there are apartments zoned for that property.
“All we know is what is potential there. Now as far as income and all of that, none of that is a part of the equation. Whenever you go in there and you start looking about a zoning for apartments, you don’t have a classification of low income, or mid income, or high income,” Said Gillespie.
Leaving neighbors with a lot of questions, like if there are still plans to connect the entryways of the new apartments with Pecan Ridge.
“To me, I don’t understand why it needs to be connected to our neighborhood. There’s just so much traffic going up and down this street already,” Said Keaner.
Which leads to more questions about traffic congestion…
“The streets are dead end you know, if they come in, they’re not going to be zipping down our streets to get to somewhere else,” Said Ballow.
So as far as plans go for the future of this property, Mayor Gillespie says apartments will be here. When or what kind of housing is still in question.
“he plans have not been brought before me because techinically, they don’t have to bring them before the mayor and I sit on the planning commission. They do not have to bring this before the planning commission because that portion of the property was permitted for apartments 20 plus years ago,” Said Gillespie.
Gillespie says there is no city ordinance that requires neighborhoods in Prattville to have two entryways. But the planning commission prefers to plan to have them for easy access for emergency vehicles.
The public can attend the next planning commission meeting. It’ll be held September 18 at 3 pm in city hall.
