Twin Pines Circle

Twin Pines Circle

City of Hoover Subdivision Regulations approved January 1982 were based on eight elements; one of those was “The impact of development upon adjacent property” in 1990 the city reiterated that as follows: City of Hoover Ord. No. 89-857, approved January 3, 1990. “The City of Hoover will not allow the development of one site to cause an adverse effect on adjacent property.”

The homes on Twin Pines Circle are well established; the three homes experiencing problems currently were all built in 1985. In January of 2014 High Point Development and Signature Homes started cutting the roads for Magnolia Grove Subdivision. From that time onward there have been problems with flooding on Twin Pines Circle. Residents trust Hoover staff to do the right thing, to follow the city ordinances. Hoover residents deserve better than this.

In a letter describing the storm drainage downstream of Magnolia Grove to Mr. Rodney Long, the City Engineer at the time, Robert Easley of Alabama Engineering Company, Inc. described in detail the detention pond. He wrote “nearly all the storm drainage from this site drains through this pond”. The total site for Magnolia Grove subdivision is 40.84 acres, 12 acres of which is a common wooded area, the remaining acres are houses, roads and cleared common areas. Thus, 28.84 acres have been channelized into the detention pond. The water leaves the detention pond through a 24 inch pipe. Mr. Easley the outside engineer for the developer continued “We have noted however, that there is an existing 18 inch diameter pipe on the residential lot below this pond. This pipe appears to have been installed by the homeowner or builder, but it is smaller than would be necessary to carry peak storm flows from the site, even in its pre-development condition.” The letter from Alabama Engineering and Mr. Easley was dated December 13, 2013. The City Engineer signed off on the development plan April 3, 2014.

Channelizing water, diverting water through a 24-inch pipe and sending that volume under pressure to existing 18-inch pipe is an obvious problem. Yet this was approved by the City Engineer, Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. This is not a private property problem. This is perhaps a “no one is paying attention” problem or “no one cared about the ordinance” problem.

It is clear that the City of Hoover knew there was a real threat of flooding. The developer’s engineer pointed this out to the City Engineer who approved the plan with full knowledge of the problem. The city knew about the problem and allowed the development of one site to cause an adverse effect on adjacent property. The city must be accountable; the city should not only comply but embrace this ordinance. Hoover is better than this.

Subdivision Regulations Appendix II Article V. Design Standards Sec. 5. - Drainage and inundation (d) In some cases, storm water retention or improvement of existing downstream drainage facilities may be required.

No changes in this section of code between April 7, 2010 and December 29, 2021 are noted in this section (MUNICIPAL CODE City of HOOVER, ALABAMA Codified through Ordinance No. 21-2517, enacted May 3, 2021. (Supp. No. 18) . Thus, the city had the opportunity to require the developer to make changes to Pinedale subdivision infrastructure based on the code and the information from the developer’s engineer. It appears any changes will now come at taxpayer expense or private property owner expense.

The water flows downhill on a stormwater easement into a watercourse behind Twin Pines Circle and Pineway Drive; the water crosses Sulphur Springs and through two properties leaving at the rear of those properties.

For additional information see: Magnolia Grove