What The Dedication Of Liberty Parkway Means To Vestavia

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL - The dedication of Liberty Parkway in Vestavia as a public road Monday morning carries with it some extra benefits to the residents of Vestavia Hills, according to the city.

At the July 23 Vestavia Hills City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to accept dedication of Liberty Parkway, as well as a portion of Lake Parkway and a portion of River Run Lane as City of Vestavia Hills streets.

So what does the dedication of the road mean for Vestavia Hills residents? For the roads that are dedicated, the following will change, as relayed by the city:

• Road maintenance, including repair of asphalt, pot holes, etc., will be provided by the City of Vestavia
Hills.

• The City of Vestavia Hills will be responsible for traffic controls and signage. All State of Alabama Motor
Vehicle Rules of the Road and traffic offences now apply to these roadways and VHPD may issue citations
for motor vehicle infractions. Effective Monday, July 30 at 6 a.m., the Vestavia Hills Police
Department will begin enforcing these laws on these roadways as they do on all other City roadways.

• Golf carts will not be allowed on the dedicated streets per the Motor Vehicle Code. They may continue to
be operated on the sidewalks, as these are located on private property. Marked crosswalks, even on the
public dedicated roads, are considered by legal opinion to be a part of the sidewalk system. Therefore, golf
carts will continue to be allowed on the marked crosswalks on the public dedicated roads. Golf carts are
not, under any circumstance, allowed to be operated on the public dedicated roadways.

• The Sicard Hollow gate at the end of Liberty Parkway will be removed, as the law requires unrestricted
access to public roads. The other two gates off Sicard Hollow (at Lake Colony Way and Provence) will
remain in place – they are not on dedicated portions of the road. Presumably, LPJV will continue to lock
the gates from midnight to 5am, but this under the purview of LPJV as the owner of the roads.

At this time, the Vestavia Hills Police Department has one officer dedicated to patrolling Liberty Park. As things change in Liberty Park, the city will assess whether additional police protection is required.

According to a report by the council, the new development in Liberty Park is expected to provide a significant boost to City sales tax and ad valorem revenues, but a substantial portion of this new revenue will likely be needed to provide additional services that this level of development demands, including expenses such as road paving, garbage collection, schools and fire/police protection. New construction also provides a temporary boost in sales tax for construction materials and permits.

This anticipated revenue boost for the city is the incentive for the city to participate in a public-private
partnership for the grocery store development and the cooperative district for road improvements. As an
example, the Vestavia Hills City Council has already approved a public-private partnership agreement with a grocer developer. Without this incentive agreement, there would likely be no grocery store in Liberty Park.

While a portion of these additional revenues – those not absorbed by new expenses – will benefit the entire city, Liberty Park residents will also gain convenient access to long-awaited amenities like a grocery store, gas station, various shops and restaurants.

The city council added that the new development will also stop some of the “leakage” of Vestavia residents spending money in cities other than Vestavia Hills.