Planning Commission refers Hena Street subdivision request to City Council
A developer planning a five-home subdivision off Hena Street will have to go before the Homewood City Council for permission to build in an existing natural buffer zone between residential and commercial areas.
The Planning Commission had the case on its agenda for Nov. 6 but decided to carry it over on the recommendation of city attorney Mike Kendrick. The proposed development would be built in about a 50-foot-wide area of the 100-foot wide buffer, which separates homes on Hena Street, Cobb Street and other nearby roads from commercial buildings on Wildwood Parkway.
The buffer was established in the 1990s as noise and light protection for homeowners, and the applicant, listed as Mike Moseley on the Planning Commission agenda, would need City Council approval to purchase and build on this land, since the covenants for the buffer would have to be changed.
According to a packet from the developers, the plan is to build five energy-efficient homes at 123 Hena St., with three to four bedrooms each and priced in the $400,000s. A sixth lot would hold the community septic system and is designated on plans as a "green space."
The houses would be accessed by a private drive.
The property already purchased for the construction is one acre and undeveloped, and it would be combined with a half acre in the buffer zone. Each lot would be 94 feet wide, above the required minimum for R2 residential zoning. According to the developers' packet, there is a sale contract with the owner of the buffer zone property, contingent on city approval.
The packet argues that the distance between the rear residential property lines on Hena and the commercial buildings on Wildwood Parkway would still exceed 100 feet after the construction. However, the amount of trees and other plants between the two areas would decrease.
The City Council has not yet set a date to discuss the buffer and the Hena Street development. If the council approves the request, the developers can return to the Planning Commission for a hearing on their case.
The Planning Commission also will discuss updates to the city tree ordinance at its December meeting, after some modifications by staff.
The Planning Commission approved a request to resurvey the parcel at 213 Edgeview Avenue into three parcels for new homes. The parcel was originally five lots, but these would not meet the 50-foot lot width minimum for Neighborhood Preservation District.
Commission members also chose to table discussion of moving a lot line 5 feet, between two lots at 808 Grove St. and 252 Allen Ave., because the applicant was not at the meeting. Moving the property line would not affect either lot's compliance with city minimum widths.