Townhome development receives recommendation from Planning Commission
An eight-unit townhome development is in the works for 18th Street South.
The Homewood Planning Commission at its Nov. 10 meeting voted to recommend to the City Council the request to rezone the property from C-2 (Neighborhood Shopping District) to R-7 (Attached Dwelling District). The property is at 2520 18th St. S.
John Abernathy, president of Blackwater Resources, presented plans to the Planning Commission that showed eight angled, three-story units, and each unit is 30 feet tall in the current plans. The first floor of each unit showed a parking garage. Abernathy noted that plans could change, but as of presentation, six of the units had the exact same one-bedroom floor plan with one parking space; the seventh unit is a two-bedroom unit with two parking spaces; and the eighth unit is a different one-bedroom unit with one parking space.
The target market for these units would include retirees, single-parent families, empty nesters, and people with roommates, Abernathy said. He said the rental fee for the units would be in the range of $2,500-3,000 a month.
Abernathy addressed traffic concerns at the meeting. The proposed plans show one way into and one way out of the townhome development, and Abernathy said the average daily traffic for the development would be about 30 cars in and out. In comparison, a gas station would have approximately 822 cars coming in and out daily, and this is a development permitted under C-2 zoning.
“We’re downzoning to a less intensive zoning. That’s what’s being requested,” Abernathy said.
The existing site is currently in a “blighted condition,” Abernathy said, and is one of the first things visitors see when driving into Homewood from Birmingham. This development would give the site a clean, attractive look, he said.
The site has steep slopes behind the proposed townhome development, and Abernathy said his plans include a small guardrail that will increase safety at the site. The development would also add to the walkability on 18th Street, he said.
Homewood Fire Chief Nick Hill said the current plans do not show enough room at the back of the property for a fire truck to drive through. He suggested that Abernathy include a 5-foot walkway through the middle of the townhome development so a fire hose can reach to the back of the property.
Jeff Foster, who chairs the Planning Commission, said he received 11 emails from residents in support of the development, and the rezoning request received a unanimous favorable vote from the Planning Commission. It will head to City Council for approval next, and then Abernathy said his team will begin the design process. He said he anticipates the project could break ground by spring 2021.
Councilor Jennifer Andress, who chairs the Planning and Development Committee, said the townhomes are unique and something that the city needs.
“I think this serves a market that we’re not serving right now,” she said. “I think this is something that would fit nicely into our housing situation in Homewood.”