Council approves rezoning for Central Avenue businesses, Creative Montessori School
Four Homewood properties were rezoned at the Dec. 19 city council meeting.
The first request was at 2824 and 2826 Central Avenue, where property owner Jared Lewis asked to rezone the properties from Neighborhood Shopping District to Central Business District. This would allow him to make the properties a single parcel. Tenants Poulson & Poulson and Brandino Brass will remain in the building, but the other tenant has relocated and Lewis plans to renovate the interior and exterior of the space, as well as add parking and landscaping.
The new tenant, Caliber, will be a sporting goods store occupying roughly 4,800 square feet and will carry gear for hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits. One Rosedale resident, Jeremy Cunningham, spoke in opposition to the change as he felt that a different development would be better for the Rosedale area. However, the council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning.
The property at 1718 27th Court South was also rezoned from Neighborhood Shopping District to Central Business District, and owner Gray Murray said he plans to rehabilitate the existing building on the property for new tenants, including a business he is starting focused on low-income housing in Birmingham.
Mary Edwards, who owns an adjacent property, opposed the request because she does not want a commercial property next door. Murray responded that his plans could improve the area in comparison to the currently abandoned and neglected property.
“You’re pushing people out," she said. "You could put a building in my yard and it probably would be pretty, but that’s not the point.”
The council approved the rezoning request, as well as a request from Creative Montessori School to rezone 1630 28th Court South from Attached Dwelling Unit District to Institutional District. CMS Director Greg Smith said the property will be used as green space and a site for outdoor learning and activities.
In its last meeting of 2016, the city council also:
- Approved funding for sidewalk projects in 2017.
- Approved a new street light at 203 Theda Street, at a cost of $140 per year.
- Approved Fire Department Chief John Bresnan to sign an agreement with Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network E911, which can handle 911 calls through an IP network.
- Approved Freedom Case Management to contract with a collections agency.
- Approved an existing fence in the city right-of-way at 1712 Ridgewood Place.
- Approved a bid from Sharp Communications for fire department headsets.
- Approved the finance department to invest city money currently held at Bank of New York in a money market account.
- Set a public hearing for Jan. 9 to consider a fence ordinance variance request at 3101 Roxbury Road.
- Set a public hearing for Jan. 23 to consider rezoning 316-322 Carr Avenue from Green Springs Urban Renewal District to Attached Dwelling Unit District in order to replace existing duplex units with new ones.