Good Hope sets distance limits on some new business construction

Published 8:25 pm Monday, August 23, 2021

GOOD HOPE — The Good Hope City Council had the first reading of an ordinance Monday night that would set a distance limit on new pharmacies, manufactured home sales lots and fireworks stores.

The ordinance would prohibit the building of a pharmacy within 1,000 feet of an existing pharmacy — unless divided by a four-lane highway. The ordinance would also prohibit the building of a manufactured home sales lot within 1.5 miles of an existing lot, or a fireworks store within 1.5 miles of an existing fireworks store.

Manufactured home lots and fireworks stores that are already located in the city are exempt from the ordinance as long as they maintain their business license.

After reading the ordinance for the first time during Monday’s meeting, the council will hear the second reading and consider passing the ordinance at its next meeting on Sept. 13.

The city already has similar ordinances already in place that put a distance limit on tattoo parlors and liquor stores within the city. 

Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett said the new ordinance is meant to protect the city’s existing businesses from having similar businesses come in, and is meant to hopefully encourage different kinds of businesses into the city. 

He said the existing businesses included in the ordinance do a good job of bringing people into the city to spend money, but Good Hope is a small city that has a limited amount of commercial property, so having four manufactured home lots and three fireworks stands should be enough for the city. 

“We have 2,500 people and we have three fireworks stands and four mobile home lots,” he said. “We don’t need any more. We would like to have more diversity.”

City Planner Corey Harbison said the ordinance does set a limit on the fireworks stores allowed in the city, but it is not meant to prevent the city’s residents from buying fireworks or using them on their own property. 

“It’s not meant in anyway to prohibit someone buying them and shooting them at their house,” he said. “That is not the intent.”

The council also passed a resolution requesting Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to determine which municipality is responsible for maintaining portions of County Road 469. 

Cullman owns property on one side of the road, and Good Hope has several parcels of land within its city limits on the other side of the road, and the road is currently maintained by Cullman County, Harbison said.

He said Good Hope believes it should still be maintained by the county, so the city is requesting the Attorney General to look at the state’s law and determine who should be responsible for the road.