Plans for ‘Broadway triangle’ houses move forward

Edgewood residents at the April 7 planning commission meeting were overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal to build five houses on the triangular property at 902 Broadway Street.

Real estate investor and Homewood resident Chris Tucker brought the plans before the commission to gain approval to divide the lot into six parcels. He brought with him 18 supportive letters and 33 signatures from area residents, as well as multiple residents who recommended the plan in person. City council liaison Fred Hawkins said he had never seen such strong support for a development in his time on the commission.

Tucker said the reason for his success was the time he spent going from door to door in Edgewood, talking to every homeowner who could see the property from their houses. He showed them his plans, answered questions and used some of their concerns to improve his proposal.

“I think that really helped get them on board. They felt like they were part of the project,” Tucker said.

The Broadway property, located across from GianMarco’s, has been the subject of community ire over previous proposals to build an office or a condo development. Many residents lobbied for the property to be purchased by the city and become a “pocket park,” but the measure ultimately failed.

The planning commission approved Tucker’s division of the property and it will be professionally resurveyed to be divided into six lots. He said it will take him about a month to close on the property, but will soon begin working on floorplans.

The five houses will be one-and-a-half stories and between 1100 and 1,700 square feet. The exterior will be designed in a craftsman style that Tucker said will fit in with the surrounding homes, and each will have its own parking. Off-street parking on Saulter Road will not be disturbed. There are no definite buyers yet, but Tucker said he has received some interest.

“They’re very much in line with the average houses in Homewood,” Tucker said.

After closing on the property, the next step will be demolishing the existing home and removing trees on the property. His ideal timeline is to start construction is in about two months, but he’s not sure yet if that will be possible.