Capstone Communities, the developer behind the attempt to alter the plan for a Hoover community to construct hundreds of residential units, a parking garage and a hotel, responded on Thursday to a request for comment by 1819 News.
A group of Hoover's Preserve neighborhood residents are attempting to stop the development, which they believe could negatively impact their neighborhood. The group gathered at the Village Green Park on Sunday evening to protest, wearing t-shirts that read "Preserve the Preserve."
The Preserve is a 300-acre community with a pedestrian-friendly restaurant and retail space north of Interstate 459. The master plan for the neighborhood has been subject to several changes since USS Real Estate, a division of the U.S. Steel Corporation, initially proposed the development to the Hoover City Council in 1999.
The new development, proposed by Capstone in August, would change the plan for the Preserve's mixed-use area to allow the developer to construct 295 residential units, 38 townhomes and a boutique hotel. It would also allow for more retail space and a parking deck.
This would add to the 69,000-square-foot Preserve Town Center's already available office and retail space.
Protesters complained that they were sold a different vision of the community when they bought property there. They also claimed that the new plan would take away from greenspace and impact street safety, air quality, schools and property value.
Capstone submitted its proposal to the city on August 14. The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission was initially supposed to host a public hearing on September 11, but the developers delayed the meeting until October 9.
1819 News initially reached out to Capstone on Monday, but the company did not respond until Thursday evening, saying it had "temporarily" pulled the proposal and it would do "further research."
Capstone issued the following statement:
“Our goal is to serve people, build community and deliver exceptional experiences in every new project we take on, and the town center at The Preserve is no exception. We want to provide current and future residents and visitors new spaces to shop, dine and spend time together.”
“Over the past several months, we’ve been intentional about listening to residents in the neighborhood and sharing project details through hosting three widely attended open house events. We are continuing to work closely with the Hoover Planning & Zoning Commission, Hoover City Council and other project partners to ensure the proposed community complements the existing neighborhood.”
“We’ve temporarily pulled our proposal while we complete further research and will provide residents with additional insights upon its completion.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
