This is important and will determine what rural Limestone County looks like in the future

Since assuming office, I have worked to strengthen our subdivision regulations. This is, primarily, to protect current residents from negative effects and to reduce potential future costs to the county. Safety has also become a concern. Currently, our subdivisions call for lot widths of sixty feet. That is adequate for subdivisions in which developers build their own roads. When a developer starts using a county road as part of his subdivision, I have concerns. Think about the road on which you live. Should the lots on rural limestone county roads have the same size lots as subdivisions? The common sense answer is that they should not. The speed limit in subdivisions is typically 25 to 35 mph. Limestone County roads are generally 45 mph. Do we want the houses in the county in such close proximity to each other that the roads become like city streets, resulting in additional safety concerns and reduced speed limits? After a public meeting, where people voiced their concerns, we have reduced lot widths in the new regulation from 180 feet to 90 feet. The new regulation allows approximately two lots per acre. At the public meeting, people with a financial interest spoke against the new regulations. The new regulations will not apply to you unless you are dividing land into less than two acres. There is also a family exemption as follows:

From the Code of Alabama:

“(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a), (b), and ©, this section shall not apply to the sale, deed, or transfer of land by the owner to an immediate family member, except that, in the event that there is any sale, deed, or transfer of land by the owner or an immediate family member to someone other than an immediate family member, this chapter shall then apply to any subdivision of property as defined in subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of Section 11-24-1.”

If you agree that rural roads and subdivisions should have the same size lots, you should ask your commissioner to vote “no” on the new regulations. If you believe, as I do, that for safety reasons and for us to retain some resemblance of a rural community, then you should ask your commissioner to vote “yes” on the regulations. District 2 votes for what is best for all members of the community and not special interests or people seeking financial gain.

Danny Barksdale

Limestone County District 2, Commissioner