Planning Commission delays discussion of Firefighter Lane condos

Many residents left City Hall upset tonight after the Planning Commission chose not to discuss a proposed condominium development on Firefighter Lane, instead carrying the issue over to its Feb. 5 meeting.

The condo proposal, which was first introduced in September and withdrawn in October, brought crowds that filled the commission meeting almost to capacity. 

However, Commission Chair Billy Higginbotham said his fellow members had not had time to review the new proposal, which was delivered last week, due to the holidays and requested it be carried over. Murray Legg of Eyster Legg Development, which plans to build the condos, said he had not been able to set up meetings with surrounding property owners to discuss his plans.

In response to this, a member of the crowd replied that residents were there tonight and ready to talk in the public hearing. After the decision was made to carry over the agenda item, someone else in the crowd responded "We'll be here!" for the next meeting.

After the Planning Commission meeting, Legg said he would continue to attempt to set up meetings with residents, but a Jan. 3 meeting had been cancelled.

The new proposal, according to Legg and documents submitted to the city, reduces the condo development from 28 to 20 units, with 47 parking spaces in an underground garage and two stories of residential space.

The average roof height, according to drawings, would be about 29 feet above street level. The drawings did not provide the maximum height of the roofline and the city Building, Engineering and Zoning department could not provide that information either. However, the maximum allowed by the city is 35 feet, and anything above that would require a variance approved by the city.

Drainage is a major concern for residents opposed to the project, as the condos would cover most of the property at 3019 and 3021 Firefighter Lane. The replacement of soil and landscaping with buildings and concrete increases the amount of runoff on a property, especially during storms.

In December, the City Council discussed a number of solutions for existing stormwater runoff issues nearby at Roxbury and Huntington Roads.

Legg said that the development will include an underground storage tank for runoff to be collected and slowly dispersed into the ground, and he believes it will not worsen existing issues.

The drawings submitted to the city show landscaping along the building facing Huntington and Firefighter, with a small amount of grass as well. There is between 10 and 12 feet of grass facing a public alley on the back side of the building, which is angled on the property.

Due to the angle of the building's location, the amount of open soil between the planned condo and a neighboring property on its north side descends from 4 feet, 8 inches near Firefighter Lane to 1 foot, 7 inches near the alley on the opposite side.

While the condo development was carried over, the Planning Commission did act on the following items:

• A request to amend the development plan at 1045 Broadway Park to expand a 4,000-square-foot commercial building to 5,000 square feet was approved 6-1, with John Krontiras against the decision. The property owner said the development is being built as a speculative site and a tenant has not been confirmed, though it likely would not be a restaurant.
• A rezoning of 510 Tamworth Lane from Neighborhood Preservation District to High Rise Office/Commercial District was unanimously approved. The owner of the property, who also owns the adjacent Bricktop's property and land for a planned hotel, said the property will be incorporated into the larger property in case it is needed during construction, but no specific plans have been made for it. In response to concerns about its nearness to residences, the owner said there would still be a landscaping buffer and he thinks no more than a retaining wall could be built there.
• Requests to amend the development plan at 259 Lakeshore Parkway to add a car wash and at 220 Wildwood Parkway to rezone buffer property for a Hena Street residential property were withdrawn.
• A request to move a lot line between 808 Grove Street and 252 Allen Ave. was also carried over.

The next regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting will be Feb. 5. Agendas will be posted at cityofhomewood.com.