Planning Commission denies request to build garden homes on Overton Drive
An Overton Drive resident's request to turn her property into three garden homes was denied by the Planning Commission on March 5, with strong opposition to the plan from neighbors at the meeting.
Virginia Allen requested to rezone 3101 Drive from Neighborhood Preservation District (NPD) to Attached Dwelling Unit District to build the garden homes, which she said would be "consistent with my neighbors" in the townhomes on Mayfair Circle.
Allen said she would live in one of the three homes and saw it as a buffer between business zoning across from her on Oxmoor Road and the single family homes around her.
However, about two-thirds of the meeting room in City Hall was filled with neighbors who opposed the plan. Planning Commission Chair Billy Higginbotham said he had also received a number of emails and a petition on the subject.
Residents who spoke at the commission meeting wanted the NPD zoning preserved for consistency with the other properties on Overton Drive. They also worried about the traffic and parking impact of having two additional homes there, as well as stormwater runoff problems caused by more of the property being covered with buildings.
John Holley, an Overton Drive resident who said he spoke on behalf of many of his neighbors, referenced a previous master plan for the area that designated it all as NPD and said he wanted that "to remain in force."
Another homeowner on the street told the commission that changing the zoning would be "a violation of the promises that were made to us by your predecessors."
When asked by Commissioner Mark Woods why she wanted to build the garden homes there, Allen said she liked the style of the townhomes next door and would like a similar style, but she was open to other ideas.
The commission mentioned the option of instead subdividing the lot into two properties facing Overton Drive, each with a single home. Allen said "that would be a nice option."
The commission voted unanimously against the rezone request, which will go before the Homewood City Council for a final decision. Allen will have to make a new request and have measurements of the lot taken if she decides to pursue subdividing it.
The commission also:
- Recommended an amended development plan at 2762 BM Montgomery Street, where owner Tim Coker plans to build a new two-story building with business on the first floor and one or two residential units on the second floor. The plan meets all other zoning requirements for mixed use zoning.
- Carried over discussion of the city's new tree ordinance. The ordinance was drafted with the help of consultant Tony Renta and has undergone several rounds of revisions. Commission members and Homewood Environmental Commission Chair Amy Milam discussed additional changes and clarifications they wanted to see at the March 5 meeting. While Higginbotham said Ward 1 Councilor Britt Thames, the commission liaison, wanted to go ahead and get the ordinance approved and ongoing edits could be made, Commissioners Woods and Jeffrey Foster expressed a desire to have a final copy they were satisfied with before voting. It will be discussed again at the next meeting, on the first Tuesday in April.