Plans revived for Patriot Park retail, restaurant construction

A business plan for The Grove, a two-story building with restaurant, retail and event space, was brought before the Homewood finance committee on May 18 after several months of inactivity.

Sonya DiCarlo and Paula Harris have lived in Homewood for more than 40 collective years. They want to purchase the city-owned vacant lot at the intersection of Oxmoor Road and Oak Grove Road and turn it into a community landmark.

“We wanted to make this such a community feel and we wanted to bring in the history of the city,” DiCarlo said. “I think once we saw the city commitment to improving the sidewalks in the area, that’s when we really got serious about this.”

DiCarlo said they have been planning this project for about a year and a half, but their plans have not been finalized because they want to gauge community feelings and interest. Their proposal includes an L-shape building with The Grove, a Cajun-style cafe, anchoring the project. There would be downstairs space for three to four other retailers and the second story would be dedicated to event space. Outside, there would be patio seating and an entrance to the park.

“I see a lot of outdoor seating,” DiCarlo said. “A lot of lighting, a lot of hanging out. Hopefully good access to the park.”

The pair envisions their property being a casual hangout spot all day long and welcoming to children, pets and mothers with strollers. They also want to add a monument either explaining the history of Oak Grove or marking the property as a “gateway” to the area.

DiCarlo and Harris have offered $50,000 for the lot, which the city originally bought for around $135,000. They have been in discussion with city attorney Mike Kendrick for several months. Committee members expressed their support of the project, but said they wanted to continue working to find a deal that gives the city a fair value for the property without delaying construction on The Grove.

Once a contract is signed, DiCarlo and Harris want a three-month due diligence period to study environmental impact and community support. They are not asking for incentives from the city, though both acknowledged the project is a big financial risk.

“We’re ready to go with throwing ourselves out there,” DiCarlo said. “This is a considerable project and we believe in it.”

Kendrick is currently out of the country for two weeks, so negotiations will be completed when he returns. The committee decided to carry over the issue until a contract can be reached.

At the same meeting, the committee carried over discussion of tax abatement incentives for Oak and Raleigh, another proposed restaurant on Oak Grove Road. In a previous meeting, the committee had approved $6,000 in abatements over three years to the restaurant, which plans to open in June. Ward 3 Place 2 Representative Walter Jones said that the council members had discovered that they could not provide the incentive package “in that way,” and they are waiting on Kendrick to find a new solution to the problem.