Land demand on rise in alabama

By Jared Felkins
The Times-Journal

Published June 19, 2007

It s a good time to move to the country, said Fort Payne Mayor Bill Jordan.

Jordan said people are beginning to realize the advantages of living in northeast Alabama.

The real estate market and demand for property is real strong, he said. It s a great place to live.

The Fort Payne City Council has been tackling various zoning issues that affect local real estate, and tonight s council meeting will continue the trend.

City Clerk Jim McGee said the council is expected to consider a request by John and Laura Croft to rezone several acres of real estate near Alabama Avenue and 38th Street N. The property is located behind Mi Casita restaurant on the city s north side. According to McGee, the Croft s want to rezone the property to permit building apartments.

Jordan said rezoning real estate could allow investors and builders a way to use property to its full advantage, but all such requests are looked at thoroughly before a decision is made.

We ve been discussing adding a [zoning classification] to utilize smaller lots for building garden homes, Jordan said. These types of homes are becoming very popular, and I think it is a very progressive outlook on utilizing property. It s a way to make smaller lots more attractive.

Jordan said he hoped the council which first discussed a zoning class that would permit this type of real estate at a work session two weeks ago would discuss the idea further during the next two council meetings.

We re seeing a lot of people moving into our area, Jordan said. We have a lot to be proud of.

The city council will hold a short work session at 5:30 p.m. before the regular council meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Jordan said the council would meet with Dee Morris, a businessman interested in bringing a variety of entertainment to Fort Payne by utilizing the DeKalb Theater as a venue.

I m interested in bringing some quality entertainment to Fort Payne, Morris said during a May interview. I believe if we had some nationally recognized entertainers, the whole city would benefit, and we d make [Fort Payne] a place where people would come to see that kind of thing.

The city council is also expected to renew a five-year lease for the Children s Advocacy Center, McGee said.

The center is located at 104 Alabama Ave, N., and the city leases the property for the nominal fee of $1 a month, McGee said.

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