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VALLEY — The City of Valley’s planning and development director, Reid Riley, talked about what his office does at the Monday meeting of the Valley Lions Club.

A planning and development director for a city is responsible for seeing the city’s overall planning and development activities including land use planning, zoning regulations, economic development initiatives and ensuring new construction aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan, while also advising city leadership and the public on development matters and managing the planning department staff.

Riley has been with the city since 2005 and worked with previous planning and development directors Allen Hendrix and Travis Carter. He started out with the city as a part-time maintenance person, moved up to a full-time position the next year, and later became a building inspector.

He moved up to his present position following the retirement of Travis Carter several years ago.

“My office is responsible for more than planning and development,” he said. “We are also responsible for code enforcement and are responsible for all new commercial and residential properties. We plan for new subdivisions and future growth of the city. We handle inspections from the ground up on new construction. We also handle the code enforcement involving junky yards, We are tasked with keeping our city clean.”

The Office of Planning and Development has more than 3,400 garbage accounts and maintains five city-owned cemeteries.

By 2009, the final offshoring of the local textile industry had taken place. City officials realized that for the city to control its future growth it needed to own property. “When it became available we started to buy it,” Riley said. “The city now owns over 1,600 acres. A new industrial park has gone in on some of that land. Residential and commercial development has gone in over some of that property, too.”

Most of that land is located near I-85 on the west side of town. An estimated 450 acres is near the Chattahoochee River. Most of this land was not in the city when purchased but was later annexed.

“With it being in the city limits we can plan for its development,” Riley said.

When it comes to residential development, the current plan is to have single-family residences in the same areas with apartments in other areas.

Three new neighborhoods are currently being built. Camellia Crossing is off of Combs Road not far from the GFA trucking terminal. The first phase has been completed and includes 28 new homes. Holland Homes of Auburn is the builder and has a total of 427 lots that can be developed. Some Crown homes have been built in a new subdivision off of King Road near its intersection with Fob James Drive. Up to 60 new homes could be going up there.

A commercial development has also been planned. It will face Fob James Drive and will include a Beef O’Brady’s and a Scooter’s Coffee. Construction on this new development could get underway this spring. There are plans for a new shopping center off Fob James as well. San Marcos II will be going up in that area as well.

Another subdivision is going up toward the end of 30th Street not far from the river. Some 20 lots have been sold for the first development and another 70 will be going up in a second phase of construction.

The city’s planning commission is currently looking at plans for two more subdivisions.

Riley said that new homes are starting to sell faster than they have in the past. Some of the homes have been sold to local people and some to people who will be relocating here. “We’ve had some people coming here from Colorado and we’ve had some military families coming here,” he said.

On the commercial side, the city has a big new addition with Chick-fil-A and the Village Square shopping mall has an expansion under way that will include a Marshall’s, a Five Below and a Pet Sense.

Riley said it’s important to be careful when selling city-owned property. “We do project agreements,” he explained. “We will sell property only to those who have them. We found out that some people will buy priority and hold on to it until more development comes here. They will then sell it to someone else for a higher price.

“We are always looking for new industrial and commercial property,” Riley said. “We work closely with the Chambers County Development Authority (CCDA). Chris Busby and his staff do good work for the whole county and are great to work with.”

In looking to the future, Riley said he’d like for a major new grocery store to be located here, along with restaurants that don’t specialize in fast food. “Our main goal is to grow Fob James Drive,” he said. “Highway 29 has been great but is becoming saturated. With it being nearly full, more and more developers are looking at Fob James Drive. We think the new residential development will spur this growth.”

Riley said that getting John Soules Foods to come to Valley a few years ago was a really big deal. More than 500 people are working there now. He said Valley and the surrounding area need more companies like John Soules Foods to come here. “We are looking for family-owned businesses that pay well and give back to the community,” he said. “We have been talking to sone potential industries that are looking to expand somewhere, it would be great for the community if they decide to come here. We have been in the top three for a number of these prospects.”

A member of the club asked Riley about what had been going on at the old Shawmut airport site. Some new homes have been built at the end of 12th Avenue and a major playground is in the planning stages. Some natural gas lines have also been going in there.

“Those gas lines have been able to do something the city hasn’t been able to,” said Club President Phillip Sparks. “They have slowed down traffic on 12th.”