After soliciting proposals from the public, the city council has two options on the table for developing a vacant lot next to Patriot Park.
The proposals were submitted by Aug. 31, but the council has just begun considering them. Greg Cobb in the department of engineering, planning and zoning provided copies of the two proposals for the lot at 165 Oxmoor Road.
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Courtesy of City of Homewod.
The Grove
The proposed Grove development at Patriot Park.
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Courtesy of City of Homewood.
The Grove
The lower level of the proposed Grove development would include a Cajun-inspired cafe and retail shops.
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Courtesy of City of Homewood.
The Grove
The proposed Grove development's second story would have event space and a balcony overlooking the park.
The first proposal is by Sonya DiCarlo and Paula Harris, who originally approached the city about buying the lot in 2014. Their project, called The Grove, would be a two-story building with retailers and a Cajun-inspired cafe on the lower level and an event space on the upper level. The second story would have a balcony overlooking the park.
The designs were created by Williams Blackstock Architects.
The building would total between 10,000 and 18,000 square feet. The cafe, also called The Grove, would anchor the development and serve coffee, beignets, milkshakes and a lunch menu. Other retailers have not been determined, but DiCarlo and Harris’ proposal specifies that they will be “family friendly.”
DiCarlo and Harris have offered $50,000 for the lot, which is less than the original purchase price for the city. However, the proposal states that excavation and environmental testing will need to be done on the site, and they believe the city can expect $85,000 or more in new tax income per year.
If awarded the bid, they proposed to begin site development before the end of January 2016.
Courtesy of City of Homewood.
Food Truck Park
A proposal for the Patriot Park vacant lot would place a courtyard, food truck park and beer garden on the property.
The second proposal is by Tom Walker of WHFTP, LLC. It features a food truck park, open landscaped courtyard and “shipping container beer garden.” There would be water and power hook-ups on-site for the trucks, which would be required to be at the location a certain amount of hours each week. Rent for the food trucks would be structured as a percentage of sales. The plans include parking for customers on the property, and the proposal states that they have spoken with area businesses about shared parking.
The company offered $140,000 for the vacant lot. In the initial proposal, they had hoped to close on the property by Oct. 31, with work beginning by March 2016 and a grand opening goal of May 1.
Both proposals’ development timelines will likely be delayed since the council has not followed the timeline they set when the request for proposals was sent out. A bid was originally supposed to be awarded at the Oct. 12 council meeting, but instead the proposals will be sent to the finance committee meeting on Oct. 19.
The council can choose to accept one of the bids or neither. Ward 2 Representative Fred Hawkins said the “best case scenario” is that a bid will be awarded at the Oct. 26 meeting, but discussion could be carried over into November.