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Courtesy of Goodwyn Mills & Cawood
Hall-Kent Elementary addition
Plans for an addition (shown in brown) at Hall-Kent Elementary School.
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Courtesy of Goodwyn Mills & Cawood
Edgewood Elementary addition
Plans for an addition (shown in brown) at Edgewood Elementary School.
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Courtesy of Goodwyn Mills & Cawood
Homewood High addition
Plans for an addition (shown in brown) at Homewood High School.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved development plans for four of Homewood's five schools, allowing construction of additions on those properties to move forward.
Goodwyn Mills & Cawood (GMC) and Hoar Program Management (HPM) presented drawings of the planned additions to Commission members at their May 1 meeting. Shades Cahaba Elementary is the only school that will not receive an addition, as the school system is planning extensive interior work instead to allow more classrooms and cafeteria space.
A GMC representative said both Edgewood and Hall-Kent Elementary schools will receive classroom additions, with Edgewood adding about 8,500 square feet and Hall-Kent adding about 8,800 square feet. Both schools will alter the shape of their walking tracks to accommodate the additions, but the new classrooms are located no closer to roads than the remainder of the buildings.
Homewood Middle School will add a one-story, 3,700-square-feet addition that will allow more space for wrestling, cheer, choral and band practices. In response to a question from the Commission, the GMC representative said construction will not affect access to the campus from Valley Avenue or parking.
Homewood High School will receive the most extensive addition on the north side of the school, with 21,500 square feet being demolished before roughly 104,000 square feet are added for classrooms, athletics and fine arts facilities. There will also be a net gain of roughly 25 parking spaces on the north side of the school, which will have a new entrance and be designated for parent drop-off and pickup.
HPM Senior Program Manager Tommy Alfano said the total construction cost of these projects, plus interior work at all five schools, a new track surface at Waldrop Stadium and HVAC control system across all school buildings is estimated at $42 million.
Alfano said he is expecting construction at HHS, Edgewood and Shades Cahaba to wrap up in fall 2019. In April, he estimated a summer 2019 finish date for work at Homewood Middle. Read more about the projects' estimated timeline here.
Information about each school's planned expansion and interior projects can be found on the Homewood City Schools website under the "Facilities" tab.
The Commission also carried over discussion of a preliminary development plan for Edgewood Manor, a 12-lot subdivision at 800-808 Saulter Road and 809 Carr Avenue, to its June meeting at the request of the property developers.
The development plan presented in April did not pass after a tied vote by Commission members. The City Council will take a final vote on the developers' request to rezone the properties to Planned Residential District, which also resulted in a tied vote during the April Commission meeting.
The Commission will hear a new development plan proposal for Edgewood Manor on June 5 at 6 p.m.
Finally, the Commission approved a resurvey of 124 and 126 Windsor Drive into a single lot at the homeowners' request.