Planning commission approves plan for apartment complex
Dec. 7—The Cullman Planning Commission approved a site plan for a new apartment complex on Musgrove Avenue SW and denied a conditional use permit for a gas station located on 3rd Street NE during Monday night's meeting.
The commission approved the proposed site plan for Musgrove Apartments, which is being developed by Prime Group Development, to be built on Musgrove Avenue SW.
The submission from the developers for the commission's consideration stated the complex will consist of three buildings totaling 22 living units over approximately 21,359 square feet.
The conditional use request for a gas station located at 1740 3rd Street NE was denied by the commission after its members determined that the construction of a gas station would not fit with the rest of the development in the area.
Commission Chairman Mike Voss said the commission's job when considering the conditional use request is to determine whether the gas station in question would match up with the city's master plan. He pointed out that the property is zoned B-1, which allows for convenience stores to be built but requires a conditional use permit to build a gas station.
Voss said he went over the rest of the city's gas stations, and found only one that was in a B-1 zoned area — and that one was grandfathered in — while the rest of the gas stations were in B-2 zoned areas.
A group of 53 residents of the neighborhoods in close proximity to the proposed gas station attended the meeting to share their disproval of the project, with resident Chris Murphree citing the potential for increased traffic in the area and worries about its proximity to the Cullman Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Jason Johnson speaking out about the increased noise in the area that would come with the gas station.
With that consideration in mind, the commission voted to deny the permit request.
Another site plan for the expansion of an apartment complex on Warnke Road NW ran into a snag during the meeting.
Beth Anderson, owner of Cloverland Apartments, spoke in favor of a request for a site plan to expand the complex by adding three new duplexes, which would increase the total living units of the complex to 22 apartments.
The site plan that was submitted by the project's engineer, however, was drawn on a modified version of the surveyor's map of the site, rather than being drawn on a new map.
After Voss said the commission would have to deny the request during Monday's meeting for the corrected plan to be brought back at a future meeting, Anderson pulled the request from consideration.
In other business, the commission:
* Approved a short form subdivision — Warnke Road NW — combine into one lot.
* Approved a short form subdivision — 620 Alabama Ave. SE — combine two lots into one lot.
* Approved final plat for subdivision — Magnolia Subdivision (off Bolte Road SE), contingent on department requests.
