Council denies sign for West Lakeshore Drive office, sets bids for Patriot Park sidewalk
The Homewood City Council unanimously denied a request to place a sign on the building at 1 West Lakeshore Drive for the office's newest tenant at its Jan. 14 meeting.
The property has come before the council multiple times before with sign variance requests to accommodate its multiple tenants, all of which are medical offices. 1 West Lakeshore Drive has two pole signs on its property and attached signs on the building.
The new tenant is Patriot Healthcare, which has offices around the southeast. David Brandt of Fravert Services, the company creating the sign, represented the case to the council. Since there is no available space on the building's pole sign, the request was to place an additional sign, measuring 32 square feet, on the building itself.
Brandt said Patriot Healthcare needs and expects a sign because other tenants of the building, such as MedHelp Urgent Care and St. Vincent's Occupational Health, have signage either on the building or on the pole signs.
However, council members said they already did not like the number of signs on the property, which were approved when the building was still in Jefferson County, and are out of compliance with Homewood codes. Sign codes in Homewood don't allow pole signs or digital signs.
"It just looks trashy," Ward 3 Councilor Patrick McClusky said.
McClusky also noted that the last sign variance for the property received council approval in part "on good faith" that there would be no additional subdividing of the building's space to add more tenants. As the building owner has since added the new space for Patriot Healthcare, McClusky said they would have no guarantees that it would not happen again in the future.
Brandt said he was sympathetic to the council's opinions on the appearance of the building, and he has talked with the property owner about possibilities for removing or replacing the pole signs. He offered to bring the council ideas for a "master plan" for the building's future signage, so they could agree on rules for its appearance.
The council decided to vote rather than wait for such a plan, with all eight present members voting against the request. Council President Bruce Limbaugh, Ward 1 Councilor Britt Thames and Ward 5 Councilor Peter Wright were absent.
The council also got an update on two sidewalk projects in the city.
The city is accepting bids for the Patriot Park connector path through Feb. 25. Greg Cobb of the Building, Engineering and Zoning Department said the project includes a challenging bridge over a culvert on Hillmoor Lane, and the winning contractor would be required to complete the project within 60 days of the bridge's delivery.
The overall project should be complete by summer, Cobb said.
Ward 5 Councilor Jennifer Andress also said the Jefferson County Commission has granted Homewood the final right-of-way property access for Phase II of the Shades Creek Greenway. The city had budgeted $31,000 for this access, but Andress said the commission voted not to charge Homewood for its use.
The next step, she said, is to work with Goodwyn Mills Cawood to get the project design ready to bid. The phase would extend the Greenway from its current western endpoint to the Wildwood area.
Andress said she anticipates construction beginning in the second quarter of the year.
The council also:
- Recognized January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, with a proclamation presented to the Junior League of Birmingham.
- Approved a bid of $182,698.72 to purchase a mobile watchtower unit for the Homewood Police Department, from FLIR Systems.
- Approved a transfer of $75,000 to the engineering budget for outside services related to a sidewalk and lighting project on Reese Street, a project to make Huntington Road a one-way street from U.S. 31 to Courtney Drive and other miscellaneous services.
- Approved $1,485 for three new signs for the pedestrian tunnel under Oxmoor Road.
- Declared 151 Wildwood Parkway a public nuisance due to excessive growth.
- Carried over a condemnation hearing at 1627 Saulter Road, as the owner has been given a list of safety problems with the property and a deadline of Jan. 25 to complete repairs.
- Dropped a public nuisance hearing at 1616 Barry Ave. as codes officer Scott Cook said the owner has completed "95 percent" of the work needed to fix the property and plans to complete it.
- Approved a rezoning of 1409 Wild Forest Drive from Attached Dwelling District to Office Building District, as the property holds a parking lot that is out of compliance with residential zoning. The new zoning matches the adjacent lot, a medical office building that uses the parking.
- Approved a tent variance for Trinity United Methodist Church on March 8.
- Set Jan. 28 public hearings for sign variance requests at 1712 28th Ave. S. and 1651 Independence Drive, as well as fence variance requests at 1511 Ridge Road and 210 Raymond Drive.
- Set a Feb. 11 public hearing to consider rezoning 510 Tamworth Lane from Neighborhood Preservation District to High Rise Office/Commercial District, as the owner wishes to incorporate the property into the larger Mountain Brook Inn site, where a new hotel is planned.
- Set a Jan. 28 deadline for applications for the following board seats: Environmental Commission Ward 4 seat and Downtown Redevelopment Board Ward 2 seat and three at-large seats.
- Set a Feb. 25 deadline for applications for the Historic Preservation Commission Ward 5 seat. Applications can be submitted to the City Clerk's office.
The next City Council meeting will be Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. It will be preceded by committee meetings and a 4:15 p.m. work session to hear the results of an attorney's review of the November vote on Homewood's lid bill exemption. Agendas will be posted at cityofhomewood.com.