HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A Huntsville city councilman wants to make sure there are no concerns about a proposed housing development for seniors, and tonight, he let those it could affect decide its fate.
“Not in my backyard" was the gut reaction of many Creekwood subdivision residents when they learned about plans to build an apartment complex for lower-income seniors right next to their neighborhood.
Creekwood resident Joy McMullan says, “You do have to deal with the traffic on that road every day."
The subdivision sits right off Slaughter Road on the border of Huntsville and Madison. It's a narrow, two lane street notorious for its rush hour traffic. Subdivision resident Russell Crosswy says he tries to avoid traveling on Slaughter Road as much as possible: “It gets backed up pretty bad at some of those intersections along Slaughter so I think that's a valid concern."
Many residents worry that a new apartment complex will make this road even busier, but they soon realized they might not have a choice. City leaders say the property is currently zoned for apartments and will probably stay that way, so in terms of crime and traffic, this 56-apartment complex for senior citizens could be better than the alternative.
McMullan reasons, “It was the lesser of two evils. You have the idea that you're having a single level or maybe one double-level building in this area, and about 65 people contributing to the traffic, versus that same amount of space taken up by a couple hundred apartments and three times as much traffic because everybody's working and going to school.”
After listening to residents' opinions, Huntsville City Councilman Will Culver held a vote to see where the neighborhood stood. Sixteen voted in favor of the complex, and eighteen voted against it. Although it was close, Culver promised he'd go with the majority opinion: not supporting the new development.
Either way, some residents understand that they have to come to terms with the new neighbors they'll have, if not now, then later. Crosswy says, “It’s weighing a known now versus an unknown later, so it's kind of hard to weigh against because people can think the worst, so it's hard to decide."
The complex would be built by The Morrow Companies, a Tuscaloosa-based developer that already owns and manages several similar apartment communities throughout the Southeast. The developer has not yet purchased the land off Slaughter Road. Plans will have to go before the city council before construction begins.
