BZA denies variance request for Mecca Avenue lot subdivision

A property owner's request to subdivide lots at 212 Mecca Ave. and 227 Edgeview Ave. into eight lots for new homes was rejected at the Nov. 2 Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting.

Bob Easley of Alabama Engineering Co. and Guy Bradley of LAH Realty represented the property owner in the case. They said the plans would create eight 50-foot-wide lots, which would match the width of several other lots along Mecca. However, the city's zoning ordinances would require the lots to be 53 feet wide or larger in order to be as wide as at least 85 percent of other lots on the street.

The BZA members did not find their arguments to be a compelling hardship case for why eight lots were needed, rather than dividing into a smaller number of lots that would exceed the minimum lot width.

Easley said the lines for the eight lots are drawn in the same places they were originally platted. While there weren't final drawings for the planned homes, he and Bradley said they would be two-story, roughly 2,800 square feet and have a 60-foot driveway to accommodate two vehicles. Bradley said the homes would meet all other city ordinances regarding setback limits, roof height and other design factors.

Several residents from Mecca and the surrounding streets came to oppose the request. Their concerns included parking and traffic effects on Homewood Middle and surrounding homes, as well as the size difference compared to the rest of the neighborhood. While the lot lines might match those originally drawn, residents said, the houses planned for the lots would be far larger than the two- or three-bedroom homes that were built around the same time as those lines were drawn.

“I’ve seen too many lot splits, I’ve seen too many homes torn down and big houses built,” area resident Melanie Geer said. 

Several of those in the audience said they would accept having only seven lots with homes on them, though BZA member Ty Cole said he had expected them to want fewer homes or no development at all.

“I was shocked that everyone was OK with seven,” Ty Cole said. Some residents responded that they would be happier with fewer lots.

Residents also had environmental concerns, including the removal of trees without a definite plan of how to replace them or how many would be cut down.

“Trees are important, there are some great big trees on those lots. Can any of those be saved?” Cole said.

Preserving and adding greenery around Homewood has become a hot topic since this summer, when a group proposed replacing the police headquarters downtown with a pocket park. Groups like the Green Skies Over Homewood initiative have also worked for several years to maintain and restore tree canopy.

“If you give us green space downtown and gray our neighborhoods, you’re not doing us any favors," Geer said.

Erosion of soil and water runoff was also a point of concern, as some residents in attendance feel that current ordinances around environmental protections during construction are not strong enough. The steep hillside on Mecca adds to this issue.

“There is quite a problem at the bottom of the hill where the rain drains are that would need to be addressed,” one homeowner across the street from the proposed lot subdivision said.

City planner Vanessa McGrath said Homewood has received a new stormwater permit from the state and is working with other municipalities in the Stormwater Management Authority (SWMA) and is working on a new erosion control ordinance. She said the current timeline is to implement the new ordinance before the beginning of 2018.

McGrath said some of the new restrictions include photographs and tighter monitoring of runoff conditions, an erosion plan in place for each property and a land disturbance permit before any dirt can be moved.

“I believe it will have a little more teeth in it and will be enforced a lot more,” McGrath said. 

She added that in situations where there is a problem with a construction site – due to runoff, dumpster placement, working hours or other concerns – citizens should call the city's building, engineering and zoning department rather than trying to address it with builders directly.

“You don’t have to get involved. That’s what we’re here for,” she said.

While Easley and Bradley argued that the number of 50-foot-wide lots surrounding them on Mecca justified the variance to allow the same width on the new subdivision, BZA members did not feel this justified a hardship. Cole pointed out that the scale of the homes they had described did not match the size of historic homes in the area, especially with the steep hill adding to the extra height of the houses.

“You have to think of why these things were platted this way,” Cole said.

The BZA unanimously rejected the variance request. The property owner can choose to resubmit a new request or redraw the lots to meet the width minimums so there is no need for a variance. The Homewood Star has reached out to Easley to request more information about their plans on how to move forward.