Council hears from residents about roof heights, purchases West Homewood lot

by

The city council took commentary from 15 different residents regarding changes to Neighborhood Preservation District height regulations, but ultimately delayed making a decision on the amended ordinance.

This was the second chance for the public to express their opinion on the proposed changes, which would include restricting roof height to 32 feet or less for buildings on lots 55 feet wide or smaller and 35 feet for larger lots in the Neighborhood Preservation District. Other amendments include minimum side setbacks of five feet and nine feet for homes on lots 55 feet wide or smaller and setbacks of 10 feet on each side for larger lots. The amendment also changes the way roof heights are measured, to measure from the front door threshold to the highest parapet.

Most of the residents at the meeting spoke in favor of tighter restrictions than those proposed. They argued that taller houses do not fit with the look of NPD neighborhoods that had originally appealed to many of them when they bought their homes, and that the limit for homes on 55-foot or smaller lots should be brought down to 29 feet, or even shorter. Some also said the construction of new, taller homes could hurt the value of their older, smaller houses, and that homeowners wanting larger houses should find other neighborhoods in Homewood that fit that scale.

A few spoke in favor of the proposed changes, saying that limiting the height too much has the potential to reduce variety among houses or encourage builders to create flat roofs in order to fit a second story within the height limits. 

Overall, there was a consensus that more discussion was needed to fully understand the implications of the proposed changes and possible tighter restrictions.

Ward 2 Representative Fred Hawkins said that while there could be more discussion on the exact numbers of the amendments, the overall goal of the council was to put a height cap in place quickly to prevent more homes being built that would not fit under new criteria.

The council voted to take up the issue in the Sept. 6 planning and development committee meeting, which is open to the public.

At the same Aug. 29 meeting, the council voted to issue and sell warrants up to $4.25 million in order to purchase a 15-acre lot at 123 West Oxmoor Road, which is next to West Homewood Park. Council President Bruce Limbaugh said the opportunity to purchase the property came up quickly and the council has not made a final decision how to use the property. With Homewood's youth leagues overflowing capacity, Limbaugh said it is possible the land could create space for additional playing fields.

The council also:

  • Approved a measure to allow the mayor to accept a FEMA SAFER grant of $353,052 to fund three new firefighter positions for the next two years.
  • Carried over discussion of turning the 500 block of Rumson Road into a one-way street to slow traffic and make room for sidewalks. The council wants to review results of a traffic study by Skipper Consulting to see potential effects on the surrounding roads.
  • Carried over discussion of tax incentives for the developers of Wildwood South shopping center.
  • Approved sign variance requests at 103 Citation Court, 800 Green Springs Highway and 2921 18th St. S. The last request originally listed three signs, but the council asked the owners to remove a proposed sign on the side of the building before approval.
  • Approved a three-way stop sign and painted crosswalks at the intersection of Carr Avenue and Broadway Street.
  • Approved directional signs to Homewood Middle School at the intersection of Mecca Avenue and Oxmoor Road.
  • Approved a street light at 913 Shades Road, for an annual cost of $140.04 to maintain.
  • Approved the closure of Montessori Way on Oct. 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. for a grand opening event.
  • Repealed a resolution that had named J.H. Berry as the city's exclusive broker of record.
  • Declared 1602 Ridge Road and 1624 Mountain Gap Circle public nuisances due to excessive growth. Due to repeat complaints on the properties, the council also wants someone from the building inspections department to visit the properties.
  • Dropped public nuisance declarations for the properties at 2516 Mamie L. Foster, 2522 Mamie L. Foster and 110 Acton Ave. as the result of the owners resolving the excessive growth problems.
  • Approved a retail beer and table wine license for Mi Pueblo Supermarket, 216 Green Springs Highway.
  • Dropped a retail beer and wine license request for Fred's Store at 234 Green Springs Highway until the fire department receives a response from the business to do its inspection.
  • Approved Police Chief Tim Ross' mid-year crime report.
  • Annexed 1628 Dobbs Lane from Jefferson County into the city.
  • Set a public hearing on Sept. 12 for an application from the owners of 822 Columbiana Road to rezone the property from Office Building District to Attached Dwelling Unit District to build four residential townhouse units.
  • Set public hearings on Sept. 12 for sign variance requests at 1831 28th Ave. S. and 2900 Linden Ave. and a fence variance request at 612 Hambaugh Ave.
  • Set Sept. 12 public hearings to hear an annexation request for 913 and 1400 Shades Crest Road and to reconsider the Home Energy section of the International Building Code.
  • Carried over discussion of a fiber optic franchise agreement with Southern Light.
  • Carried over discussion of a crosswalk signal at Oak Grove Road and Oxmoor Road.