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Screenshot taken by Ingrid Schnader.
18th Street townhomes updated
This 18th Street townhome development includes eight three-story units. Seven units have one-bedroom floor plans, and one unit has a two-bedroom floor plan.
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Screenshot taken by Ingrid Schnader.
The Magic City Acceptance Academy will be an LGBTQ-affirming environment serving up to 400 students in grades 6-12.
Two new developments moved forward in the Jan. 25 City Council meeting.
One rezoning request approved by the council was to rezone the property at 75 Bagby Drive from C-1 Office Building District to MXD Mixed Use District. This rezone is for the development of the Magic City Acceptance Academy, which will provide a learning environment for LGBTQ students.
The academy will be three floors and serve up to 400 students in grades 6-12, said Magic City Acceptance Academy Principal Mike Wilson. It will be open for classes by fall 2021.
The Magic City Acceptance Academy is an extension of the Magic City Acceptance Center, a youth LGBTQ center offering free programs, such as art classes, counseling, HIV/STI testing, health and wellness workshops. Wilson said he began to notice that the youth who came to after-school programs were filled with anxiety because of bullying they encountered at school.
“This was due to name calling, threats,” Wilson said. “A lot of them don’t feel like they have adult allies that they can go to and that can help them through situations.”
The Magic City Acceptance Academy’s vision statement states that it is an LGBTQ-safe and affirmative space. Having a vision statement like this is a first for the state and maybe for the country, Wilson said — he has searched for similar vision statements in other schools across the country but hasn’t found any others.
“We’re proud to say that Alabama approved this charter school where we are going to serve all students with trauma-informed practice across the board, which is simply a caring and listening practice in the classroom, but it’s also providing the services that kids need, be it a school counselor or an adult that listens,” he said. “But we go further than that by providing services for their physical and mental health.”
Applications for students will open online in the evening of Jan. 31. If capacity is reached, then the school will run a lottery to choose students.
Also in the Jan. 25 council, another rezone request — for the development of an eight-unit townhome building at 2510 18th St. S. — passed with a controversial 6-5 vote. The rezone was from C-2 Neighborhood Shopping District to R-7 Attached Dwelling District.
As we previously reported, this townhome development includes eight three-story units. Seven units have one-bedroom floor plans, and one unit has a two-bedroom floor plan. The first floor of each unit is a parking garage, and each unit will have one or two parking spaces. John Abernathy, president of Blackwater Resources, said the monthly rent for these units will be in the range of $2,500-3,000.
Under the property’s former C-2 zoning, a developer could have built a car wash or gas station on the property. Those who spoke at the council meeting against the townhome development mentioned concerns about increased property taxes and gentrification of the historic Rosedale neighborhood.
Councilors who voted in favor of the rezoning were Andy Gwaltney, Walter Jones, Barry Smith, Jennifer Andress, John Hardin and Alex Wyatt. Voting against the rezone were Melanie Geer, Andrew Wolverton, Carlos Alemán, Nick Sims and Jalete Nelms.
The next city council meeting will be Feb. 8.
Correction: Removed a quote that was incorrectly attributed to Tyler Barnett.
