Rosedale rezoning request withdrawn

UPDATE: This case has been withdrawn by the property owners.

A request for rezoning in Rosedale was carried over at Tuesday night’s Homewood Planning Commission meeting so developers could consider their options, following a public hearing that saw several residents express concerns over the issue.

Tom Champagne, owner of the property at 2773 BM Montgomery Street, had requested the commission rezone the property from a C-2 neighborhood shopping district to mixed-use, in order to allow Haven Field Community Church to use the property as a meeting space. Champagne is a member of the church.

Residents in Rosedale and members of the commission expressed concern about the possibility of the property becoming mixed-use. Mixed-use zoning is “wide open,” Commissioner Brady Wilson said. According to the city’s zoning code, while neighborhood shopping districts allow for some commercial developments, mixed-use zoning allows for residential uses along with larger businesses and developments including hotels, auditoriums, community centers and more.

While no one in the audience expressed concern over the church itself coming to the neighborhood, the concern was over what might be allowed in the future. Wilson said once the property is rezoned for mixed-use, it becomes harder for the city to deny a request for any businesses or use that is permitted under that zoning classification.

“I feel like changing this property to mixed-use actually opens the door, opens it wide, so that we can just keep going this way and keep going this way,” said longtime Rosedale resident Marlene Burnett. “If you should leave, it’s going to be an open door. It’s already an open door. We go through it all the time. Rosedale has gotten … tiny.

“I just don’t feel in my heart that there’s not something else coming up behind this rezoning. I just don’t. I think once it’s zoned mixed-use, we’ve got to come back and fight this again. I’m tired. We’re tired,” Burnett said.

Other residents expressed concern about parking and questioned whether the city cared about Rosedale. Resident Shawn Barakat called for no more mixed-use or commercial zoning in Rosedale and said the neighborhood could be lost if rezoning continued.

Jamie Warren, an elder at the church, said the church wants to be good neighbors with the community and does not plan to make major changes to the property outside of painting. The church is still working on securing parking agreements with adjacent property owners and businesses.

“We want to be part of a solution,” Warren said.

Four members of the church spoke in favor of the rezoning.

Champagne said it was his understanding from conversations with the city that mixed-use zoning was his only option that allowed for religious institutions, as churches under institutional zoning are typically three acres or more, or have more than one building on a lot or parcel. But commission members said I-2 institutional zoning, which permits religious institutions, could be an option. While Warren said the church would be open to that, Champagne said he’d prefer to make an amendment to the C-2 zoning, the property’s current classification, to allow for religious institutions.

Wilson said the zoning code does not stipulate that institutions under I-2 zoning must be three acres, but simply guides how developers of those properties proceed. The zoning code for I-2 zoning reads, “institution developments on sites of three acres or more, or featuring more than one building on a lot or parcel, shall be developed in accord with an approved development plan as stipulated in Article VI.” It does not mention any minimum or maximum lot size for properties in the classification.

While church leaders and Champagne evaluate whether to pull the mixed-use application and pursue a different path, the issue was carried over to a future meeting.

The commission also approved the rezoning of 536 Cobb Street from Green Springs Urban Renewal District to West Homewood District to facilitate potential development sometime in the future.

The site developer, Tom Walker, said the rezoning of the property was to make it consistent with the neighboring Econolodge. His goal is to develop both the Econolodge and office space at the Cobb Street property sometime in the future.

Walker, who oversaw the development of The Pizitz downtown and the remerchandising of Pepper Place, said he’d come back with a master plan for that larger development in the future.

The commission also named Stuart Roberts to another term as chairman and approved Winslow Armstead as the vice chairman, replacing Wilson.