Homewood City Hall
The Homewood City Council on April 24 cleared the way for a major project in West Homewood to come in and replace the Econo Lodge, which residents said has become a host for unsafe and criminal activity.
The council approved changes to a text amendment allowing townhomes on sites more than 3.5 acres within the West Homewood Zoning District, in addition to approving developer Tom Walker’s final development plan.
Councilor Andy Gwaltney and Council President Alex Wyatt voted no on changing the district’s regulations, but everyone present voted for the final development plan.
The plan calls for 10,000 square feet of commercial space, with 18 rental lofts above it, with 51 townhomes built behind it. The commercial space will include an arcade and two restaurants, Walker said. The two restaurants are new locations for El Barrio and Paramount. The lofts and retail development are considered mixed-use, while the townhomes are residential. The townhomes, not including a 300 square foot garage, are about 1,600 square feet, Walker said. The site is located at 195 Oxmoor Road. Poole & Company Architects are the architects on the project.
The development will include sidewalks, green spaces and pedestrian connectivity throughout the site. The lofts will be two bed/two bath setups, with rent expected to be in the low $2,000s, while a majority of the townhomes will be three bed/two bath, with rent expected to be in the mid-$2,500s, Walker said. Walker said he expects a mix of residents, including young families.
The townhomes include a one-car garage and residents of both the lofts and townhomes will have off-street parking, Walker said.
Everyone present at each meeting regarding the development has spoken in favor of the project. In other news, following the success of The Lakeshore Foundation in helping two Ukrainian soldiers learn new games as part of their recovery, the city committed to giving $5,000 to the foundation to help them help other injured Ukrainian soldiers.
The council voted to allow trees to remain at 610 Broadway Street, with Melanie Geer voting no. The city’s public works committee reconsidered a previous ruling last week, recommending homeowners whose property the sits on be allowed to keep the trees so long as they took care of them.
The council also named Sheetal Cordry as the next member of the Homewood Board of Education, replacing Charlie Douthit.
In other business, the council:
- Approved partial funding for two Litter Gitters, with $7,500 to be paid this year and the rest next fiscal year
- Dropped an item to set a bid date for parking deck repair and restoration at City Hall, with more details on construction expected next week
- Approved about $5,000 in budget appropriations for The Assistance League
- Amending the street department budget
- Set a public hearing for a request to vacated a portion of right of way adjacent to 328 Redfern Street for June 12
- Abolished the cable commission
- Approved requests to use the plaza at City Hall for a cornhole league and for a separate vaulting competition on July 8
- Approved vouchers
