Homewood City Hall
The Homewood City Council on April 11 approved the city’s “Complete Streets” ordinance, which sets forth guidelines on how to make city streets suitable not just for cars, but also for pedestrians, bikers and users of public transit.
Not every street would be required to have exactly the same changes made – bike lanes, striping, etc. – but the goal is to “retrofit” city streets for bikers and others. The city will now work to ensure each city street is accessible for all types of transit users.
Changes will include repairing damaged sidewalks, improving pedestrian crossings, expanding the city’s bicycle network and more, according to a PDF sent to The Homewood Star by Councilor Nick Sims, who led the effort to establish the ordinance.
The Homewood Star will have more on the changes coming with the ordinance in the June edition of the paper.
The council also voted to create new signage directing voters to new routes around the U.S. Post Office on 18th Street South. The routes will be put into place to make room for 26 new angled parking spaces. The mailboxes at the U.S. Post Office will be moved, and the 18th Street entrance to the post office will be eliminated. Drivers will enter the post office off of 27th Avenue South and will exit onto Central Court, which will be marked right-turn only coming out of the post office. To get back to 18th Street, drivers can turn right onto 27th Avenue South from Central Court and make their way back to the main thoroughfare.
The council also accepted a bid for a new chiller at City Hall, a roughly $1.1 million bid by Trane, the lone bidder. The bid came in under budget and will replace what council members said is an aging chiller.
The council declared as a public nuisance the former AutoZone property at 102 Green Springs Highway, due to litter, overflowing trash and broken windows at the property. The owners have not responded to the city.
The council also approved paying $1,497 for World Games signage. Mountain Brook and The World Games Foundation are paying similar amounts for the project.
In other business, the council:
Approved traffic calming measures at Morris Boulevard and Sterrett Avenue, including a stop sign at the intersection and permanent striping and paving markers
Approved amending the city’s contract with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority and paying the first two quarters
Rezoned 3450 Manor Drive from R-5 attached dwelling unit to R-6 attached dwelling unit to reflect the development’s actual status. It was previously non-conforming with R-5 zoning.
Approved a sign variance at Nadeau, located at 2834 18th Street South
Approved a secondary front yard fence variance at 625 Hambaugh Avenue
Approved a fence variance along the portion of a property at 101 Acton Avenue that runs along Carr Avenue. The council denied the front yard variance along the Acton Avenue side and the homeowner will work with the city’s engineering department to bring the fence into compliance.
Amended fiscal 2022 budgets
Approved the emergency purchase of one sanitation truck
Declared some library items as surplus
Approved vouchers
Corrected a resolution stating the city’s appropriations to ClasTran. The resolution included a requested increase in funding, but the city only approved the 2021 funding.
Approved a special alcohol license for Cornapalooza, to be held April 24
Set a public hearing for April 25 for consideration of a pole sign variance at 1724 27th Court South
Set a public hearing for April 25 to condem 2757 BM Montgomery Street
Set Homewood Board of Education interviews for April 25 between 6:30 p.m and 8 p.m. There were five applicants for the open Ward 3 position.
