Residential developer Ron Roberts has been building homes for 40 years, but said he was taken aback by what he witnessed at Monday’s Athens City Council meeting.

Roberts, who works for DR Horton in Huntsville, was just one of the dozens in attendance at the meeting. He was, however, the only person there in favor of a controversial planned unit development being considered by the council — the Links at Canebrake.

DR Horton, a Fortune 500 company and the largest builder of homes in the United States, wants to build a six phase, 296-lot development to the immediate south of Canebrake Club, arguably Athens’ most exclusive development. Homes in Canebrake Club range from the $200,000s to more than $1 million.

Residents of Canebrake have said in public meetings they’re not necessarily against more rooftops in Athens, but they’re concerned about the proximity of the proposed development and the quality of homes slated to be built there.

The original master development plan of Links at Canebrake called for connectivity between the two developments, but those plans were nixed after residents expressed concern over increased traffic and crime. The council on Monday tabled the development plan because Councilman Joseph Cannon was uncomfortable passing the plan in its current form. He believes the Athens Planning Commission may have called for a buffer around the perimeter of the development that he did not believe was in the plan before the council Monday night.

City officials in attendance Monday said buffers are only used to separate commercial and residential developments and not residential from residential.

The master plan will again be up for consideration at the next council meeting March 26.

Points of contention

Though Canebrake residents were happy all connectivity points had been removed, they still insisted a buffer be added. Some even called for the developer to take the word “Canebrake” out of the name.

Roberts on Tuesday said there were no plans to add a buffer or change the name.

“I was surprised (by residents’ reactions) because it seemed like we’ve been giving them 99 percent of what they wanted,” he said. “We worked hard with the city on a plan that would satisfy everybody.”

There are 20 lots in the proposed Links at Canebrake that would abut Canebrake Club and 25 lots in Canebrake Club that would abut Links at Canebrake. The plan before the council Monday called for 25-foot setbacks between the rear of a house in Canebrake Club and the property line at Links of Canebrake. That amount was not enough for some Canebrake homeowners who implored the council to either leave existing trees between the developments as a buffer or create a landscape buffer as part of the development plan.

Roberts said the distance between homes and property lines would actually be much farther apart because there is also a 30-foot sewer easement at the rear of the Canebrake lots.

“The houses wouldn’t be any closer than 55 feet apart,” he said.

Roberts said some Canebrake residents want DR Horton to give up 25 additional feet of property to create a buffer zone and then require DR Horton to take care of it. He said the developer would be willing to plant trees at the rear of a private lot, but he is against creating a “no man’s land” buffer zone between the two developments.

“There’s no surveillance there and it just wouldn’t be a good situation,” he said.

No ‘shacks’ allowed

One point of contention was the quality of DR Horton’s homes. Some Canebrake homeowners have suggested a development of smaller, lower-cost homes would affect their property values.

Roberts said DR Horton built homes in the more modestly priced Canebrake Colony, a part of the overall Canebrake Club development, which are priced in the lower $200,000s. He said prices for the Links at Canebrake would run from the lower $200,000s to $450,000.

“Our entry-level homes will be even better than the homes (in Canebrake Colony),” he said. “We’ll have a water feature entryway with landscaping, two small ponds, a pool with restrooms and parking and trails. … Our amenities will be nicer than (Canebrake’s).”

Property in Links at Canebrake has also been set aside for a potential Athens City School if the system chooses to build there. When asked if schools decrease property values, Roberts said the opposite is true.

“Schools only add value,” he said. “People like their kids to walk to school, and it’s better to have a school in the middle of a neighborhood than on a busy street.”

Yet another question at the meeting concerned Links at Canebrake’s covenants and if the homeowner’s association would be as stringent as Canebrake Club’s. Specifically, residents asked whether Links residents would be able to keep boats, recreational vehicles and “shacks” in their backyards.

“We have strict HOA controls that prohibit parking vehicles (in backyards),” Roberts said. “We plan on having a great HOA that will take care of the facilities because it’s just how we do things.”

Another resident said the company has been sued a number of times.

“What Fortune 500 company hasn’t been sued?” Roberts asked. “We build over 40,000 homes in the U.S. Any builder has had lawsuits.”

Roberts said DR Horton is building 25 housing developments in the Huntsville area and about the same in the Birmingham area.

What’s in the name

When asked if DR Horton would be willing to change the name of the development, as suggested at Monday’s meeting, Roberts said there are no plans to do so.

He said “Links” was chosen because of its proximity to the golf course at Canebrake. Canebrake Club does offer nonresident memberships, according to its website.

“People will have the right to join that club if the club will have them,” Roberts said.

He said the word “Canebrake” was added to the name because it represents a geographic area in Athens that most people are familiar with.

Roberts said despite Canebrake residents’ reservations about the Links at Canebrake development, he hopes a solution can be worked out that would be agreeable to everyone.

“We’re looking forward to working with Athens,” he said. “We’re confident it’s going to be a wonderful community.”