Prattville rezones Highway 82 bypass property for broader business use

Prattville moved a Highway 82 Bypass parcel one step closer to heavier commercial use when the City Council rezoned 326 Highway 82 Bypass East from B-1, or Neighborhood Business District, to B-2, or General Business District. The change gives the property more flexibility than it had before and puts a key corridor site on a path that could bring new traffic, denser business activity and a different edge to the stretch north of downtown.

The council held its public hearing at 6 p.m. on June 2, 2026, and adopted the ordinance that same night. The rezoning had been advertised for two weeks in the Montgomery Advertiser, giving residents and nearby business owners a chance to review the request before the vote. The city posted the public notice June 3, and the ordinance was recorded in Ordinance Book 2026, Page 012, with Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. approving it and City Council President Michael P. Whaley authenticating it.

The ordinance identifies Terry Stanfield as the owner and James C. Avery as the petitioner. A planning commission summary from April 16 showed the request covered about 2.35 acres and was aimed at allowing a Jack’s restaurant. That summary said the concept called for about a $3 million investment, a 3,600-square-foot building, about 68 seats and roughly 40 parking spaces, details that point to a fast-food style commercial use rather than a small neighborhood-only operation.

The zoning move matters because B-2 opens the door to a broader mix of business uses than B-1. For people living or operating nearby, that can mean more vehicle trips, more turnover in the property and more pressure on the surrounding corridor as commercial activity builds around it. Even without a named tenant in the ordinance itself, the planning commission’s earlier recommendation makes clear that the city had a specific development concept in mind when it reviewed the parcel.

That review fits into a larger Prattville pattern. The Planning Commission, a volunteer citizen board, recommended the change on April 16 before the issue reached the council floor. City leaders have also been trying to steer growth along major corridors more tightly, including a temporary moratorium on permits and approvals for package stores, convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops that was first declared in May 2025 and extended in May 2026 after the city said those businesses had become highly concentrated and raised safety, traffic and crime concerns.

The Highway 82 corridor has been under a different kind of pressure since the widening and reopening were celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on April 11, 2025. City officials said that project had been discussed for more than 30 years, and the latest rezoning shows how Prattville is now using zoning to shape what kind of development follows the roadwork.