By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster now has a new procedure for handling zoning for properties annexed into the city after the City Council voted to approve the changes during a late-January meeting.

Council members voted unanimously during their Jan. 22 meeting to make the changes to its zoning ordinance effective immediately. The vote came after a public hearing on the matter, during which nobody spoke for or against.

Previously, any property annexed into Alabaster was brought in with a municipal reserve zoning, which was intended “to maintain the current use of a property” as it was before it was annexed into the city limits.

The municipal reserve zoning served as a temporary placeholder until the property owner brought a request for a more permanent zoning to the council. A municipal reserve zoning restricts what the owner can do to the property, which can become a burden, particularly with the high number of annexation requests the city has seen over the past few years, Alabaster City Administrator Brian Binzer said previously.

As a result of the changes passed on Jan. 22, the city will start pre-zoning properties before they are annexed into the city, meaning the council can vote to pre-zone a property and then annex it during the same meeting. The pre-zoning would be contingent on the property actually being annexed into Alabaster.

“We felt this was a great way to streamline the process,” said Ward 5 councilman Russell Bedsole, noting the new procedures allow the council to balance the needs of the city with those of property owners. “It’s a great way to make sure both interests are taken care of. Thanks to everyone who brought this to our attention as a potential solution.”

Over the past few years, the city has seen an influx of annexation requests from individuals in unincorporated Shelby County who would like their children to attend Alabaster City Schools, Binzer said previously.