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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The Clanton City Council will hold public hearings on two rezoning requests during its Nov. 22 meeting.

The agenda for the meeting was reviewed during a work session on Nov. 18.

The first rezoning request is to change 5126 County Road 754 from Heavy Industrial District to Single Family Residential District. The other is to rezone property near Center Avenue from R-2 Single Family/ Two Family Residential District to B-2 General Business District.

Each rezoning is set to have its first reading at the meeting. However, the council could choose to approve suspending its normal rules requiring two readings in order to vote on the requests at the same meeting as the first reading.

The Nov. 22 meeting will be at 5 p.m. at Clanton City Hall.

Also on the agenda will be the second reading of an ordinance to increase administrative fees and applying for a grant for the Clanton Fire Department.

Future development was a major focus of the Nov. 18 works session as the council heard a presentation on the master plan for Interstate 65, Exit 212. The plan was developed through a series of public input meetings and was completed in July 2020.

Jana Cordell with Chambliss King Architects and Robbin Gregory with Gonzalez-Strength & Associates presented highlights of the plan and explained some of the conceptual maps that had been created for how the area around the interstate exit could develop in conjunction with the establishment of the Alabama Farm Center.

Mayor Jeff Mims had asked for the presentation since there are several new members on the council since the plan was developed. The Clanton City Council accepted the plan on Aug. 10, 2020, but three of the current council members took office after that. Council members Wade Watley and Billy Singleton won their elections and took office in November 2020. Council member Don Driver was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the late Sammy Wilson on Feb. 22, 2021.

Cordell and Gregory emphasized that the plan was based on community research and market research studies, and it was suggestions, not requirements of any land owners.

A suggested timeline of the number of additional houses or housing units and hotel rooms that the city would want to have within two, five and 10 years of the Alabama Farm Center holding events was presented. The timeline suggested up to 200 new housing units within five years.

Projections also called for 176,000 square feet of retail along the Interstate 65, Exit 212 corridor.

The plan also includes suggestions for the land that would be best used for retail business park, residential village, a linear park to link the different areas and a sports complex/park of some kind.

Gregory said the goal was to build on what was already happening.

A link to a video of the initial master plan presentation is available at chiltonchamber.org/alabama-farm-center.

Clanton City Hall will be closed Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving.