Mixed-use building approved on BM Montgomery Street
The plans for a new two-story, mixed-use building at 2762 BM Montgomery St. will move forward after approval from the Homewood City Council on April 22.
Property owner Tim Coker plans to relocate the existing building and replace it with a 6,000-square-foot building, containing two commercial tenants and a second-story condominium, as well as an underground parking garage.
New drawings presented to the Homewood City Council on April 22 showed plans for the front of the building, which would feature a concrete and glass first story and siding on the second story. The new development would match the height of the existing building on the property.
The council first heard the request on April 8 and carried over the discussion to wait for more details of the building's appearance and how it would blend with the neighborhood. Residents of the area came to the April 8 meeting to express opposition to more commercial development, added density and buildings that don't fit the character of the neighborhood.
The public hearing did not continue to April 22, so no residents spoke at that meeting.
Ward 1 Councilor Andy Gwaltney asked Coker about runoff control on the property, and Coker said there would be a cistern to catch stormwater, which would then be used for irrigation. Coker also said existing trees on the property line and a hedge would stay.
The council approved the amended development plan in a 7-1 vote, with Ward 2 Councilor Mike Higginbotham voting "no" and Ward 3 Councilor Patrick McClusky, Ward 4 Councilor Barry Smith and Ward 5 Councilor Peter Wright were absent.
Two requests by the 19th Street South Jack's location were also contentious at the meeting. The company is planning to tear down and rebuild the restaurant, and it requested both a sign variance and permission to work in the city right-of-way to meet landscaping requirements.
Jack's representatives said they want three attached signs on the building, which exceed the allowed number of signs and the cumulative square footage they can take up. However, they removed two murals from the plans submitted to the special issues committee on April 15. The existing pole sign would also be removed.
Councilors noted that meetings are happening this week over revamping the city's sign code, and they asked whether Jack's would consider options like monument or awning signs. Jack's representatives said they were concerned about visibility for nearby traffic with a monument sign, which is not allowed on the property under current sign codes but is being considered with the code updates.
Jack's representatives also said if the variance wasn't granted, there was a chance they would reconsider the renovation and leave the signs as is. The council decided to carry over the discussion to its next meeting to await the outcome of the sign code meetings.
Jack's other request was to be allowed to put landscaping in about 5 feet of an alley between the restaurant and Demetri's BBQ. The redesigned building reduces Jack's parking to about 21 spaces, and additional landscaping would prevent the property from meeting parking requirements.
Demetri's BBQ did not respond to Building, Engineering and Zoning employee Greg Cobb's attempt to contact them about the request, Cobb said.
Gwaltney repeated his belief from the April 15 meeting that the request was a "self-imposed hardship" because the restaurant chose to design the building in a way that eliminated parking.
The landscaping request narrowly passed 4-3-1, with Gwaltney, Ward 1 Councilor Britt Thames and Ward 4 Councilor Alex Wyatt voting "no." Ward 5 Councilor Jennifer Andress abstained as she wasn't present for the initial presentation of the request.
The council also started its meeting with three proclamations. The first honored retiring Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Betty Winches, who has spent 48 years in education, 44 of them in Homewood.
Winches started as an English teacher at Homewood Junior High in 1975 and worked in a variety of roles. Her assistant superintendent position included overseeing curriculum, personnel, teacher evaluations, assisting with strategic planning and other responsibilities.
Council President Bruce Limbaugh, who presented the proclamation on Mayor Scott McBrayer's behalf, said Winches taught him a lot during his time on the Board of Education.
"She literally grew hundreds, hundreds of teachers," Limbaugh said.
The second proclamation recognized Fire Chief John Bresnan and the five Homewood firefighters who helped in the search efforts for Sidney Burgess, who was found in Bankhead National Forest on April 9 after a three-day search.
Burgess, a retired pastor, attended the meeting to honor the firefighters and also gave the opening invocation for the meeting.
The third proclamation was announcing National Get on Board Day on April 25. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority will offer free rides on that day to encourage use of public transit.
The council also:
- Voted to change the addresses of 924 and 1000 Columbiana Road to Green Springs Highway addresses and change the name of that section of road, as it has caused confusion in dispatching first responders. One of the residents had said he was opposed due to the hassle of changing address information, but the council decided it was a public safety concern.
- Voted 7-1 to oppose state House Bill 346 and Senate Bill 244, which would prevent county or city governments from enacting bans on plastic bags. Higginbotham and Amy Milam from the Homewood Environmental Commission said they felt this was a decision that should be in municipalities' hands, even if Homewood is not currently considering such a ban. Ward 3 Councilor Walter Jones opposed the vote because he said there wasn't enough time to read the bill and understand the position Homewood was taking.
- Approved a set of six bids, totaling $616,000, for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new police headquarters under construction on Bagby Drive.
- Authorized a contract with the BJCTA for the Magic City Connector Route, which starts operation on May 20.
- Approved contracts for parking enforcement software and predictive policing software for the Police Department.
- Accepted the donation of a 4,000-square-foot parcel of land at the corner of 18th Street and 27th Avenue South to the city. Some of the parcel may be used in street improvements on 18th Street, but a specific use for the parcel has not been determined.
- Approved Robins & Morton to work in the city right-of-way at 400 Shades Creek Parkway as part of redevelopment of the property. Robins & Morton representatives said no trees with a diameter above 14 inches would be removed, and those that are cut down would be replaced to meet the tree ordinance requirements.
- Approved a restaurant liquor license for Tostadas, which will open in the former Jackson's space at 1831 28th Ave. S.
- Approved a sign variance for The Grocery Brewpub, 2823 Central Ave., Suite 107. Owner Rayford Cook scaled down the size of one of the signs in his plan before approval.
- Approved a variance for 515 Rumson Road to build a loop driveway and work in the city right-of-way.
- Approved a variance for 311 LeJeune Way to add a second entrance to the driveway.
- Declared interior and patio furniture from the Senior Center as surplus.
- Set May 13 public hearings for fence variances at 1575 Valley View Circle and 612 Hambaugh Ave.
- Set June 3 bid opening dates for bids related to spring tree planting in the city and a fuel tank at Homewood Fire Station 3.
- Set a June 10 public hearing to consider vacating an alley on 18th Street South.
- Opened the application period for the Ward 2 Board of Education seat, the Ward 3 Homewood Environmental Commission seat and two at-large Education Building Authority Seats until May 13.
- Opened the application period for the Ward 3 Historic Preservation Commission seat and reopened applications for the Ward 2 and at-large Homewood Downtown Redevelopment Authority (HDRA) and Industrial Development Board (IDB) seats until May 20.