An empty sales building and a single partially built duplex are about all that stand at Summit at Monte Sano these days, feeding neighbor suspicions that the long-promised subdivision on the mountain has quietly died. But developer Ben Jackson says that is not the case, insisting ground is about to be broken on three more homes even as the site sat with no observable activity on a recent Thursday.
A Site That Looks Stuck in Time
Residents near the development on the south side of Bankhead Parkway and east of Gaslight Way believe the subdivision has been abandoned, according to AL.com. The site is being built by Colorado-based See Forever, and as of mid-October it still consisted of little more than the vacant sales office and the unfinished duplex. The station’s report notes the property appeared virtually unchanged from a YouTube update posted by Bo Henderson four months earlier.
A development sign had advertised residences coming in summer 2025, a target that has clearly passed. Workers did clear weeds at the site on October 14, and resident Mark Judge said he occasionally sees someone working there, but the same report found no observable activity when checked again on October 15.
The Developer Pushes Back
Jackson flatly denied the development has been abandoned. He said ground was about to be broken on three more homes, and pointed back to 2023, when he said the project had 25 prospective buyers. He has also said homes valued up to $1.5 million would be built, and that release of a limited opportunity would occur around the 2025 Parade of Homes dates.
Resident David Little offered a different read, saying the developer appears to be waiting on the subdivision’s acceptance into the city’s maintenance program, which includes a required land trust donation, before moving further. Little added that one home is underway and others appear close to construction. Separately, City Communication Director Kelly Schrimsher said the city’s planning department told her the development was still moving forward.
Years of Opposition Over Drainage and Traffic
The project has drawn sustained pushback since the Huntsville Planning Commission and Huntsville City Council approved planned urban development zoning for it in 2022, with adjacent neighborhood residents citing concerns about the mountain’s character, drainage and traffic. Those drainage worries turned urgent in May 2025, when construction at the site contributed to flooding in lower neighborhoods during what city officials called a 100-year flood event…