Photo by Ingrid Schnader
Cars are parked in the upper SoHo parking lot on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. This is one of the city’s free parking lots, and there is also parking available in the garage below SoHo square.
Downtown Homewood shoppers looking for a parking space now have a new lot to consider.
The Homewood City Council at its Aug. 10 meeting approved an amended parking ordinance to allow the public to park at the former police station at 1833 29th Ave. S. There are approximately 30 spaces at this property, said Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames at the Aug. 3 Public Works Committee meeting.
Similar to the nearby SoHo parking lot, the parking spaces at the former police department will have a three-hour limit.
“Thank you to the Homewood Chamber of Commerce, the Homewood Police Department and Capt. (Ben) Sutton for their partnership adding some parking downtown,” Ward 1 Representative Andy Gwaltney said at the Aug. 11 meeting. “It’s critical during certain hours of the day. Anytime parking is added downtown is a benefit.”
The city also amended section 19-73 of the parking ordinance to limit the number of vehicles stored at residential properties.
“We’ve received a lot of complaints city-wide about people that have numerous vehicles parked on the street, parked in their driveway,” said Chief of Staff JJ Bischoff at the Aug. 3 Special Issues Committee meeting.
One house in West Homewood has eight to 10 cars parked in the driveway and several more on the street, said City Attorney Mike Kendrick. The amended ordinance allows for two stored vehicles per licensed driver residing at the residential property. This property includes the resident’s private property and the adjacent public property, such as street parking.
The ordinance isn’t intended to limit guests, Kendrick said. It doesn't include vehicles that are totally enclosed within a building on private property.
Also at the Aug. 10 meeting, the council:
- Denied a request to change a section of Vulcan Road from one-way back to two-way
- Approved funding not to exceed $10,000 for Sims Garden, which will go to a construction design service