Council approves changes to zoning ordinance

The Homewood City Council approved changes to the city’s zoning ordinance at its Jan. 11 meeting.

These changes were first discussed at the Sept. 15 Planning Commission meeting and were then brought to the Nov. 16 Planning and Development Committee meeting. 

One change regards corner lots and required setbacks. 

“This came to me through the Board of Zoning adjustments because they kept seeing the same type of request over and over again on the same issues,” said Vicki Smith, a planner with the city. “Usually when that happens, you know you’ve got a problem, when you get that many.”

There are many long, slender corner lots in Homewood, Smith said, and when there are 25-foot setbacks required for both the front and the side, there is not much space leftover to build a house.

“Our rules shouldn’t create a situation where you can’t do anything to your lot without getting a variance,” she said.

Under the zoning amendment, the corner lots definition was changed to the following: “Corner lots fronting two streets shall use the frontage with the least dimensions as the front property line. The secondary front shall be used as an applicable side building setback, but not less than nine feet,” said City Attorney Mike Kendrick.

The next change deals with accessory structures. Subsection 4 of section D was amended to read as follows: “Accessory structures shall not occupy more than 30% of the rear yard space with an additional 5% allowed if permeable surfaces are used for appropriate structures. All is subject to the 50% maximum lot coverage limitation,” Kendrick said.

Last, there was a change in regards to how residents are notified of a zoning request. Property owners and adjacent neighbors will still be notified of a rezoning request through certified mail, which is a service that requires recipients to sign for the mail. Other nearby property owners will receive their notices via first class mail, which is cheaper and still fits the standards of the state.

“A lot of people don’t pick up the certified mail anyway,” Smith said. “It’s a waste of money.”

All of the city’s ordinances can be found online at library.municode.com/al/homewood/codes/code_of_ordinances.

There were also planned public hearings for three developments at the Jan. 11 council meeting; however, there was an audio issue with Zoom, and these public hearings are carried over so that all residents have an opportunity to speak virtually or in-person on these items. These items include the eight-unit townhome development proposed for 18th Street South, the charter school development proposed for Bagby Drive and the potential college development on Bagby Drive.

The next City Council meeting will be Jan. 25. Committee meetings will also be held this day instead of Jan. 18 because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.