The Lorna Road area, Hoover's planned 'secondary downtown,' splits between Hoover High and Spain Park High zones. ZIP 35216 was $409,889 in September 2026.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Hoover’s Comprehensive Plan (PDF, 2019, amended 2020) and parks pages; Hoover City Schools’ School Locator Map and its parcel layer; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2025; Zillow Research; MAX Transit schedule data; and OpenStreetMap.
Lorna Road runs south from Rocky Ridge Road to I-459, a few blocks east of U.S. 31 and close to City Hall. Hoover’s comprehensive plan describes it today as a collection of aging shopping centers and apartment complexes, and it plans for the stretch to become the Lorna Road Town Center, “a secondary downtown.” Behind the shopping centers are older single-family neighborhoods, the largest of them Chapel Hill, which the plan names.
What this means for you
- Zoned high school: split. Lorna Road addresses are mostly zoned for Hoover High (2025 score 84, a B); Chapel Hill and the streets east are zoned for Spain Park High (90, an A).
- Home value: $409,889 in ZIP 35216 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
- Nearest interstate exit: I-65 exit 252 (U.S. 31), about 1.7 miles by road.
Part of our Hoover neighborhoods guide.
Where it is
On this page the area is the Lorna Road corridor from I-459 to Rocky Ridge Road, as the comprehensive plan draws it, and the Chapel Hill neighborhood beside it. The plan says the pattern changes from shopping centers and apartments along Lorna Road to single-family homes further west, and it suggests the redevelopment should later spread to Chapel Hill, to the area south of I-459 around Aldridge Gardens, and to the offices and light industry on Lorna Lane and Lorna Ridge Road.
Chapel Hill holds 700 parcels in the school system’s parcel layer (2023 county tax records), 682 inside Hoover, all in ZIP code 35216 and Jefferson County. OpenStreetMap places Chapel Hill just east of Lorna Road. City Hall and the Hoover Public Library are about a mile away on Municipal Lane.
The town center plan
The plan’s concept for Lorna Road includes:
- Compact mixed-use buildings along the east side of Lorna Road, with offices and apartments.
- Replacing two apartment complexes with mixed-use buildings several stories tall on Lorna Road and new housing away from the busy street, possibly a mix of flats, lofts, townhouses and single-family homes.
- Better walking and biking links to nearby neighborhoods, “particularly south over the interstate to Aldridge Gardens.”
The plan is guidance, not a project with a budget or a date. Rezoning requests for the area go to the Planning and Zoning Commission; see our building permits and zoning guide.
Schools
Scores are each school’s overall score on the 2025 state report card (the 2024-25 school year).
| Zone | Elementary | Middle | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorna Road (most of it) | Green Valley, 98 (A) | Simmons, 92 (A) | Hoover High, 84 (B) |
| Chapel Hill and east | Rocky Ridge, 95 (A) | Berry, 95 (A) | Spain Park High, 90 (A) |
All 700 Chapel Hill parcels fall in the Rocky Ridge zone. Green Valley Elementary is at 3200 Old Columbiana Road and Rocky Ridge Elementary at 2876 Old Rocky Ridge Road. Because the line runs through the area, check one address with the School Locator Map and Student Services, 205-439-1016. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The typical home value in ZIP code 35216 was $409,889 in September 2026, up 3.6% from $395,804 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. Zillow files 35216 under Vestavia Hills, and the ZIP covers parts of both cities. The Hoover figure was $437,458, up 2.9%. More in our home prices guide.
Parks and trails
From the city’s parks pages:
- Aldridge Gardens, 3530 Lorna Road, the garden park the city lists among its community parks, just south of I-459 (aldridgegardens.com).
- Georgetown Park, 2224 Myrtlewood Drive: 8 acres with a three-acre lake ringed by a lighted track (2 3/4 laps to the mile), a playground and two gazebos. No restrooms.
- Loch Haven Park, Loch Haven Drive: 17 acres with a fenced off-leash dog area, a 0.4-mile walking track, a playground and a covered pavilion.
More in our parks and trails guide.
Getting around
- Interstates: I-65 exit 252 (U.S. 31) is about 1.7 miles by road, and I-459 exit 13 (U.S. 31) about 2.1 miles.
- City Hall: about 1.3 miles by road to 100 Municipal Lane.
- Airport: about 16 miles by road to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine; they are distances, not drive times.
- Buses: MAX Transit Route 31 (Highway 31 South) stops at Lorna Town Square and on Lorna Road at Lornaridge Lane, and runs to the Galleria and to downtown Birmingham, according to MAX Transit’s schedule data.
More in our getting around guide.
Groceries and everyday stores
From OpenStreetMap:
- Walmart Neighborhood Market, 3320 Lorna Road, and Jubilee Groceries, 3321 Lorna Road.
- Publix, 1584 Montgomery Highway.
- Walgreens, 1615 Montgomery Highway.
- Hoover Square shopping center, on U.S. 31 at the west edge of the area.
How we drew this area
The corridor follows the Lorna Road Town Center section of Hoover’s comprehensive plan, and Chapel Hill is named in the plan and in OpenStreetMap. School zones come from the Hoover City Schools map, and parcel counts from the parcels it carries, checked Oct. 17, 2026. Place and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Frequently asked questions
What high school is the Lorna Road area zoned for?
It is split. Homes along most of Lorna Road are in the Green Valley Elementary zone, which feeds Simmons Middle and Hoover High; Chapel Hill and the streets east of it are in the Rocky Ridge Elementary zone, which feeds Berry Middle and Spain Park High.
What is the Lorna Road Town Center plan?
Hoover’s comprehensive plan envisions redeveloping the aging shopping centers and apartments on Lorna Road between I-459 and Rocky Ridge Road into a walkable town center, a ‘secondary downtown.’
Does a bus serve Lorna Road in Hoover?
Yes. MAX Transit Route 31 (Highway 31 South) stops at Lorna Town Square and along Lorna Road, according to MAX Transit’s schedule data.
What ZIP code is Chapel Hill in Hoover?
- Zillow put the typical home value in 35216 at $409,889 in September 2026, up 3.6% in a year; the ZIP also covers part of Vestavia Hills.
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