The map that guides how Springville handles rezoning requests is from 2008. The city is now replacing it. The visioning survey and interactive map that will shape the first draft close on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 12 days after this post goes up. The answers collected so far lean in a clear direction. Neighbors want new growth out near I-59 and on vacant lots already inside town. They want the historic blocks of Main Street left largely as they are.
This matters more than a typical city survey. Once the new map is adopted, it becomes the reference point for zoning decisions for the next 10 to 15 years.
What the Map Actually Does at a Rezoning Hearing
A comprehensive plan sounds abstract until you read how Springville's planners describe its use. The project's About page calls the Future Land Use Map "a guidance document, not a set of regulations" that "does not replace the City's zoning and development regulations." It then lays out how the Planning Commission and City Council should use it:
"If the proposal is consistent with the Future Land Use Map, then they should approve it; if it is not, then they should evaluate other alternatives."
So the map doesn't rezone anyone's property. It sets the default answer. A request that matches the map starts with an advantage, and a request that conflicts with it has to work harder. The same page says the map "can and should be periodically updated." Springville's last full update came in 2008, followed by a 2021 comprehensive and strategic plan and 2023 historic district design guidelines.
The City Council hired the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, known as RPCGB, on October 6, 2025, under Resolution No. 2025-29. The plan costs $150,000. An 80% federal grant administered by RPCGB covers most of it, and the city pays the 20% local match of $30,000. Exactly a year after that vote, on October 6, 2026, the first public meeting took place.
What Neighbors Have Said So Far
The planning team presented preliminary survey results at the October 6 meeting. They were based on 317 responses. Since then, the project homepage says more than 455 people have taken part. The figures below come from the 317-response snapshot, and the final numbers will shift as more answers come in.
Nearly 9 in 10 respondents rated Springville's quality of life as good or excellent, and about half said the town is growing too fast. Those two answers together explain most of the rest. People like what they have, and they are uneasy about how quickly it is changing.
| Question in the visioning survey | Top answers as of the October 6, 2026 presentation |
|---|---|
| Top downtown priority | Preserve historic character, 70.4%; attract more restaurants, 32.2%; improve sidewalks and streetscape, 24.3% |
| What needs attention | Infrastructure keeping up with growth, 59.8%; underused or vacant businesses, 37.2%; updated zoning and development rules, 26.0% |
| Where future growth should go | Near Interstate 59, 49.5%; vacant or underused properties in the city, 41.0%; along U.S. 11 north and east of downtown, 36.2% |
| Parks and recreation priorities | Maintain existing facilities, 64.4%; build trails and greenways, 43.1%; more indoor recreation or gym space, 41.6%; connect neighborhoods to parks, 39.3% |
The downtown row has the widest gap in the survey. The presentation calls historic character "the most-selected downtown priority by a wide margin," and only 1.3% chose more housing in or near downtown. Only 25.3% picked downtown as a place for future growth, about half the share that picked I-59.
Respondents were split on housing. The most common answer, at 44.4%, was that no more housing is needed. Large-lot single-family homes came close behind at 42.1%, and senior housing drew 23.7%.
Why "Infrastructure" Tops the List
When 59.8% of respondents name infrastructure as the top issue, the next question is who maintains it. The existing-conditions analysis counts 59.5 miles of roadway inside Springville. The city maintains 40.1 miles, about 67%. ALDOT handles 14.9 miles and St. Clair County handles 4.4. With two-thirds of the town's road miles on the city's books, growth and road upkeep end up as the same conversation.
Park access follows the same pattern. The planning team found that 1,280 of Springville's 2,361 residential parcels, or 53%, sit within half a mile of a park. They note this measures distance only. Whether you can actually walk there depends on sidewalks, crossings and topography. The parks on that map include Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, Big Springs Park and Splashpad, Woody Park, the Springville Sports Complex and tennis courts, and the youth baseball complex. The planning team's summary puts it plainly: "links between destinations are missing."
The Downtown Ideas Already Drawn
The new plan builds on work done earlier in 2026. DesignAlabama held a DesignPlace charrette in Springville at the invitation of Mayor Austin Phillips and the St. Clair County Economic Authority. The resulting DesignPlace Springville report treats Main Street, which is U.S. 11, as what connects the trail network, Big Springs Park and the large tract at the southwest corner of Highways 11 and 174.
Its concepts include:
- The capped spring. The spring capped in the center of town could become public greenspace. It would stay capped, with surfaced water feeding a woodland garden and the stream that borders Big Springs Park. A short walk would connect it to a proposed gateway pavilion at the park.
- Street trees first. The report proposes a continuous line of trees along the historic business district as the first step, ahead of any new buildings.
- Filling the south-end gap. The report names the space between the Arc and the gas station at the south end of Main Street as "the most promising infill opportunity." It suggests one- to two-story buildings there to restore the street edge.
- Town to trail. A separate concept raises a possible expansion of Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve onto adjacent land to the south, plus a walking connection from downtown to the preserve.
These are concepts, not funded projects. The October 6 presentation lists a "2026 Main Street Walkability Improvements Concept" among the plans the new comprehensive plan will build on. That listing doesn't attach a construction budget or a schedule.
The ideas and the survey answers point the same way. Infill on empty lots matches the 41.0% who want growth on vacant or underused properties in town. Street trees and a restored spring match the 70.4% who want downtown's historic character kept. A town-to-preserve trail matches the 43.1% who want trails and greenways and the 39.3% who want neighborhoods connected to parks. The DesignPlace report describes Springville as a place visitors come to for Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, downtown shops and restaurants like Nickels Nook, and events like Homestead Hollow. The early survey answers describe the same town, and most respondents want it protected.
What Happens After November 3
Phase 1 runs about three months and ends with the visioning survey and interactive map. Phase 2, plan development, takes three to four months. In that phase the team meets with city leadership, boards, local businesses and the Chamber, neighborhood representatives, and nonprofit, faith-based and senior community groups, and drafts the new Future Land Use Map. The whole process is expected to take 10 to 12 months.
Residents get two more chances to comment after the survey closes. The full draft will be posted online with a 30-day public comment period and an open house. The Planning Commission will then hold a public hearing before adoption, and the City Council will consider endorsing the plan. Dates for those meetings haven't been announced. The project homepage at PlanSpringville.com is where updates will appear.
The survey and the map are the most direct way to shape the first draft. Here is how to take part before the deadline:
- Take the Visioning Survey. It has 33 questions.
- Pin specific places, problems and ideas on the Interactive Map. A crosswalk, a vacant storefront or a missing trail link means more pinned to a location than described in a survey box.
- If you missed the October 6 meeting, read the presentation and the Existing Conditions Snapshot.
The survey and the interactive map both close November 3, 2026.
If you own land in Springville and want to understand how a future land use designation could affect what you can build or sell there, Brian Camp can go through the draft map with you once it's released. He looks at it as a broker, builder and engineer. For questions about your specific property rights, check with the city or an attorney. Let's Connect.
