Developers of the Magnolia Station neighborhood in Sumrall are asking members of the Sumrall Board of Aldermen to annex parts of that subdivision that are not already within the city limits.
Mayor Joel Lofton said Phase I of Magnolia Station, which is located on the north side of the intersection of Todd and North Rayburn roads near Sumrall Elementary School, lies within the current city limits. To that end, the request for annexation includes the other phases, which have not yet been constructed.
“They’re looking toward the future for when they complete it, which I believe may be five phases,” Lofton said. “Phases II, III, IV and V, they’re looking to have that area annexed so that when they do build, it will be in the town.”
A few homes exist in Phase I, with plots currently for sale.
“There’s not many,” Lofton said. “Less than 20 permits have been issued for building, and I’d say less than half of those, at this point, are occupied.
“Some of them are just beginning construction.”
Plans for Magnolia Station began in March 2020, when developer Joshua Sims came before the board to discuss the matter. At that time, officials said approximately 75 acres are located within the city limits; an additional 130 acres exist outside the limits.
Developers expect to eventually build at least 200 homes in the subdivision on lots of varying sizes.
“In my view, if a property owner wishes to be annexed, that’s up to that property owner, and that’s what we have in this situation,” Lofton said. “The issue that I have is that annexation is a costly venture, in that you have to do all the preparatory work and legal work, which is sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.
“Then when annexation goes through, that divides the town’s resources a little bit further. If someone wants to be taken in by the town, they can ask that, but I have a little issue with citizens having to pay the cost for someone then receiving the benefit. I don’t know that the town should pay for developers to be able to then sell lots and then say ‘we’re in the Town of Sumrall. As a taxpayer myself, I’m not sure that I like that, but that’s just my thoughts.”
That being said, Lofton would not necessarily be against Magnolia Station’s annexation.
“I would look for a way that the requesting party could bear the expense rather than the people of the town,” he said. “And the board seems to not be comfortable spending a lot of tax dollars to take in a developer’s request, so they’ve authorized me to speak with the property owners to see if they would work with us on that.
“If they want to be annexed, and they will support the cost of the annexation process, then I think the board is willing to move forward.”
In early 2019, a public hearing on the matter was held while developers were in the process of requesting a zoning change on the land. The switch from the previous zoning of I-2 (Industrial) to R1-A (Residential) allowed plans to commence on the subdivision.
During that hearing, attendees heard from developer Howard Walker, who said the subdivision will help attract people to the city who will shop locally, benefiting businesses in Sumrall.
“And as you get some people in here in these homes, it allows you to attract other businesses to the city,” Walker said. “That’s either expanding local businesses that are already here or attracting new businesses that aren’t here but may not come here with the current population base and the current tax base.
“It could get to the point where you could attract some substantial businesses, but you can’t attract those businesses without the people that are going to shop there. You also can’t attract industry-type businesses if you don’t have the housing infrastructure for the workforce.”
