Council expands smoking prohibitions, approves townhomes

As of the Nov. 9 city council meeting, smoking and vaping are no longer allowed in hotel and motel rooms, indoor and outdoor dining or within 20 feet of any business where smoking is banned.

These regulations are part of an expanded city smoking ordinance, which was unanimously approved after weeks of discussion and compromise. The ordinance adds vaping, or the use of electronic cigarettes, to the city's definition of smoking so the two activities are regulated equally.

Smoking is allowed in private parties or functions with the organizer's approval, except on city property such as Rosewood Hall. Shops that sell smoking or vaping products as at least 80 percent of their revenue are allowed to smoke their products on-site. This was a victory for vape shops such as Vulcan Vape, as an initial draft of the regulations allowed smoking in smoke shops but banned it in vape shops. However, it was not as comprehensive as members of the Safe and Healthy Homewood Coalition had wanted, as they had argued in favor of banning smoking in most or all public spaces.

The council also approved a rezoning for the property at 818 Columbiana Road to allow the construction of six high-end townhouses. The designers, Ellis Architects, said the units will be sold as individual lots with 1,600-1,800-square-foot homes starting in the $300,000 range.

Other council business included:

• Discussion of accepting funding from ALDOT and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham for the city's 18th Street South Revitalization project. Confusion over the amount of money allocated for the project this fiscal year caused the council to refer the issue to the finance committee. Once the finances are figured out, Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames said engineering is supposed to happen in the current fiscal year and construction would occur in the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
• Approving a restaurant liquor license for the Shrimp Basket getting ready to open at 801 Green Springs Highway.
• Approving the mayor to enter a series of contracts that were included in the 2015-2016 fiscal year's budget, including: up to $40,000 for the Exceptional Foundation, up to $2,500 for Prescott House and up to $15,000 for ClasTran.
• Setting a Dec. 7 public hearing to consider declaring the property at 506 Shades Creek Parkway a public nuisance due to excessive growth.
• Rejecting a request for the city to clear an alley of underbrush between the Shades Valley YMCA and Rumson Road. Ward 2 Representative Vance Moody said the city does not typically clear "paper alleys" such as that one.
• Approving work in the right-of-way at 324 LaPrado Circle for a parking pad, on the condition that the homeowner uses permeable pavers.
• Approving a request from Regions Bank to remove a tree from the city right-of-way near their Wildwood Parkway location, as the tree blocked visibility. The council asked that Regions plant crepe myrtles or similar trees to replace the one removed.
• Authorizing the mayor for a bond underwriting agreement with Stifel, Nicolaus and Company.

The next council meeting is Monday, Nov. 16.