Hinton Place residents irate over proposed nearby neighborhood

The Tuscaloosa Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday gave the OK for a new subdivision adjacent to the Hinton Place neighborhood on Alabama Highway 69 South.

Tartan Cove will feature 207 residential lots on about 86.5 acres south of Bobby Miller Parkway.

But Hinton Place residents made their opposition to the plan well-known, with representatives showing up in droves at Monday’s meeting.

Hinton Place Homeowner’s Association Vice President Jeff Richettl said the new development will increase traffic in the area, and that’s something residents don’t want. Not to mention, this new neighborhood will have access to Hinton Place, he said.

“Tartan Cove is a neighborhood that is being developed immediately east of in the back end of Hinton Place, and the city’s planning department says the only option is to add a second entrance and exit to Tartan Cove through Hinton Place,” said Richettl.

Hinton Place resident and Tuscaloosa realtor Plychette Montgomery said she’s lived in the area for more than four years, and she was there to ensure the committee heard her professional opinion.

“I just want to make sure they understand why we oppose the connection between Hinton Place and Tartan Cove,” Montgomery said. “It’s because we feel like it would affect the value of the neighborhood.”

Other residents said they’re worried about safety.

“We live off of a cul-de-sac on Charolais Drive,” said Hinton Place resident Roger Wilson. “We will be directly impacted by the traffic that will come through there. We have young grandchildren. They love to play out in the street and there are no sidewalks.”

The project was approved on the condition that a new traffic study is done.