The Huntsville City Council annexed about 128 acres of land at its June 26 meeting and is poised to annex more than 1,000 acres at its first meeting this month.

But Huntsville City Councilwoman Michelle Watkins continues to voice concerns about whether Huntsville City Schools can handle the increase of students the new land acquisitions could potentially bring. Watkins abstained from voting on the largest annexation at the meeting, a 121-acre site north and south of Little Cove Road and west of U.S. 72 East.

“I’m asking these questions because the schools are busting at the seams,” said Watkins, who was a school board member before her election to the council last year.

Mayor Tommy Battle said city officials meet with City Schools Superintendent Clarence Sutton monthly and talk about annexations and where Huntsville is growing as a city.

The mayor said they talk about a lot of different issues that affect the city and school board.

Manager of Planning and Zoning Services Thomas Nunez said a more than 100-single family home development is proposed for the site off Little Cove Road, although 90 acres – of the 121 acres – of property would be kept in its natural state. The council also voted to annex two other properties totaling about seven acres.

Deposit Road, LLC, management committee managers James R. Hays and John W. Hays, the estate of William Stevens and the estate of Kelly Virginia Stevens were the petitioners for the Little Cove Road property.

So far this year, the city has taken in more than 600 acres in surpassing Chicago as the nation’s 27th largest city geographically at 722 square miles. Included in the previously annexed land is an almost 400-acre site off the Interstate 65-565 interchange where about 3,000 homes are proposed as part of a mixed-use development.

And the council will vote on annexing 1,013 more acres south of River Loop Road and west of Vaughn Road at its July 10 meeting. Huntsville only annexed a little more than 85 acres last year.