Rock the South Founder Shane Quick (pictured), along with partner Nathan Baugh, came to explain plans for the festival’s new site and answer questions about the project at Monday night’s Cullman City Council meeting. (W.C. Mann for The Cullman Tribune)
CULLMAN – Monday evening’s regular meeting of the Cullman City Council instantly became a referendum on the decision by Rock the South (RTS) producers to relocate the mammoth music festival from Heritage Park to leased private land within city limits west of Interstate 65. Residents from the Deer Trace subdivision half a mile northwest of the site showed up in force to express concern about the potential impact of the event on narrow area county roads, local property values, traffic, crime, and the safety of residents and their children on area roads. Several complained about the suddenness of the announcement with little or no notice to residents of RTS’ plan to lease the property, saying that it appeared to be a back room deal between RTS and the City of Cullman.
RTS Founder Shane Quick and 46 Entertainment Event Manager Nathan Baugh both attended the meeting, addressing the council and answering questions and accusations from the crowd. Quick referred to studies conducted by architects and urban planners, which he said pointed to the site’s ability to support an event the size of RTS, and to the local infrastructure being able to support anticipated traffic. Both Quick and council members noted that the City had not yet approved any permits for a festival at the site, and that planners and producers would have to present acceptable event plans before any permit would be issued, just as they had each year for Heritage Park.
After the impromptu public hearing, Quick and Baugh moved out to the city hall lobby for face-to-face discussion with anyone still interested in talking. Afterward, Quick said that he felt good about the informal conversation.
Proposed zoning ordinance change could increase number of apartments in residential areas
While talk of RTS moved out of the auditorium, a fair portion of the crowd stayed put for a public hearing on a proposed modification of the City’s ordinance defining an R-4 residential zone, a change that could allow the construction of large apartment complexes in districts of the city currently composed of only single-family dwellings.
Residents from upscale areas of the city complained that such a modification would open the door to the construction of high-density, lower-income apartment complexes they said would quickly attract crime, become run down and lower property values in the surrounding neighborhoods.
One speaker stated, “We don’t want Veigl Village (a Cullman-area low-income apartment complex) across from our homes.”
Another argued that if large apartments are built in residential areas, value would go down and crime would go up, before pleading, “Please don’t do that to us.”
Others pointed to the effects of increased population density in city residential areas, expressing specific concerns like the possible increase in numbers of students at city schools whose class sizes are already above recommended maximums. They argued that teachers and schools are already overburdened, and that increases in numbers would affect even traffic around the schools, which is already a subject of concern to many. Still others noted increased pressure on area infrastructure. Both speakers agreed that the impact of increases in population density in Cullman’s residential neighborhoods would eventually require increases in local taxes.
Opponents of the change asked for large apartment developments to remain under their previous zoning designation of B-1, a type of business zone designation that would keep them out of residential areas.
The council gave the proposed ordinance a first reading, and took no action. The measure is expected to be on the agenda for the next council meeting.
See The Tribune’s video of the RTS debate and a portion of the zoning debate at www.facebook.com/CullmanTribune/videos/508989129588703/.
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