Chimney Rock

Well-executed new urban projects often spawn other projects nearby, and a new example of this tendency is in Birmingham, Alabama. Chimney Rock, a town designed in July and on a fast track for development, is located down the road from Mt Laurel, a traditional neighborhood development (TND) designed in 1998 by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company.
The Chimney Rock plan (see the opposite page) proposes 3,000 houses and a substantial town center on 1,650 acres. It includes a great deal of land conservation, with more than 50 percent of the area to be left undeveloped, according to Brian Wright of Town Planning & Urban Design Collaborative (TPUDC) of Franklin, Tennessee, the lead planner. The SmartCode will be used, with local calibration, to regulate the development, Wright says.
Shelby County is the fastest growing county in Alabama, but this part of the county has no zoning. The comprehensive plan for the county calls for New Urbanism. County officials have offered an expedited approval process because the plan is based on principles of New Urbanism, Wright notes. The concept plan is scheduled to be submitted September 15, and the regulating plan will be up for approval November 3 if all goes well, Wright says. Exquisite Development, based in Destin, Florida, wants to break ground January 1, 2007, he adds. The firm specializes in coastal condominiums and this is the company’s first TND. The nearby Mt Laurel “had an impact on [Exquisite] wanting this kind of development,” Wright says.