In a rare Huntsville property listing, a big piece of Monte Sano is for sale.

“Possibly the last large parcel available for development on Huntsville’s iconic Monte Sano” is the description for land just listed by Keller Williams Realty.

The asking price for 49 acres on the northern end of the mountain along Bankhead Parkway: $995,000.

The real estate listing for “0 Bankhead Parkway” describes it as the “perfect place for very private estate home site(s), a few large home sites or a neighborhood development with gorgeous mountain views.”

Ben Nemec, the Realtor handling the listing, said the property has been for sale twice before in years past. He was the agent then, too. The price was roughly the same.

Because the local real estate market is so vibrant now, the three local property owners felt it was time to list it again, Nemec said.

“There’s a lot of money coming into Huntsville right now and I’ve really been pushing them to get it back on the market,” he said. “Now is a great time.

“I had a lot of builders reach out to me just in the last several weeks about it,” Nemec said. “I have met with three different builders now on it and they’re kind of toying with the idea.”

An aerial view shows a lush landscape covered with trees. Parts of the property border Monte Sano State Park and the North Alabama Land Trust parking lot.

“I’m not a developer but based on what research I’ve done and what the seller has told me -- and the seller was a developer at one time -- I think 50 to 75 percent is developable,” Nemec said. The majority will fall under the city’s slope development restrictions, but some parts do not.

The owners, Bankhead Development Ltd., built the Heritage of Monte Sano subdivision on adjacent land.

“It’s really for setups for people who want to build estates on the land instead of actually develop it into a subdivision,” Nemec said. The utilities stub-outs are in the adjoining subdivision.

‘Nice building areas’

Steve Koslow, one of the owners, said the land “could be divided lots of different ways depending on how somebody wants to use it.”

The roads Darlington, Sandusky and Haley’s Way could be extended, which would provide several “nice building areas.

“Haley’s Way, when it’s stubbed out, that’s actually in a real flat area that doesn’t even require slope development restrictions,” Koslow said. “It’s basically a flat piece of property right there on Bankhead Parkway.”

One option he likes would be to create “one, two, three or four estate lots anywhere from five to 10 acres apiece and basically have a driveway,” he said.

“If somebody wanted to have acreage on the side of the hill and have their own secluded area where they could build a house and not even be able to see their neighbors in the summer -- actually probably in the winter -- they could do that,” he said.

If a developer goes with a more traditional subdivision plan, “you could do another 30 homes in there,” Koslow said.

‘Lots of rock’

A price of roughly $1 million for almost 50 acres on Monte Sano may seem cheap in the current market but “it’s going to be a significant cost to build on it,” said Nemec.

“There are lots of trees, lots of rock. It’s definitely not ready to build on right now. It’s going to take some work,” he said. “There’s a significant opportunity to have a great view and that would be a northern view” facing Oakwood Avenue, the Chapman area and Hawk’s Ridge subdivision.

Hikers on Land Trust trails often go across Bankhead Parkway to walk on the property but the trails don’t officially extend there, the Land Trust confirmed.

“There’s been a sign put up so people won’t cross the road because it’s not safe,” said Land Trust Executive Director Marie Bostick. She said the Land Trust is always willing to work with property owners who want public trails on their land.

“A lot of developers and Realtors now advertise Land Trust trails adjacent and close, if they are, as kind of a marketing tool,” Bostick said.

“If it were me, I would develop a community that embraced the trails and embraced that culture and lifestyle,” said Nemec. “I’m an avid user of those trails. I run and mountain bike on those trails a lot so I would love to see whoever develops it use those as a part of the community.”

If just three or four homes are spaced out across nearly 50 acres, those lucky few will have something rare in the center of Huntsville: woods, views and a buffer from the neighbors.

“I just think it would be a great place for people that wanted some property inside the city and had a view and some privacy, said Koslow. “It would lend itself to not doing clear-cutting or ripping the side of the mountain apart like they did for Cecil Ashburn.”