City Council Meeting Recap 8.4.20
Here’s the video from the meeting:
Here are some of the main items the Birmingham City Council discussed at the August 4th, 2020 Meeting
New Student Housing Development
The Council voted to authorize Jefferson County to abate the City’s non-educational ad-valorem taxes in order to aid in the development of a 7-story residential student housing complex on the City’s Southside, in an area between 13th Street South, 5th Avenue South, and 14th Street South. The $55 Million project will feature 169 apartment units, 228 parking spaces, 4,500 square feet of street-level commercial space, and will create an estimated 39 jobs.
Arlington-West End Rezoning
The Council voted to set a public hearing for Tuesday, September 1st at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting to consider a rezoning case in the Arlington-West End neighborhood to allow for the development of a private club.
Background on this item:
The City’s Long Range Land Use Plan identifies the property as Mixed-Use Low. This land use category allows for the development of compact, walkable, residential and commercial areas, often with a “Main Street” spine that historically served as a town center with two to three story buildings. The land uses can be mixed horizontally (side-by-side), or vertically (one above the other) and include multi-family, townhouse, cottage and small-lot single family residential, neighborhood supporting retail and services, offices, hotels and live/work structures. These “Main Street” areas would typically be characterized by ground floor uses including small markets, convenience retail and services, restaurants and cafes, and existing or potential residential uses on upper floors. The proposed rezoning request is NOT CONSISTENT with the Long Range Land Use Plan.
Neighborhood Recommendation:
The Arlington West End Neighborhood Association met at its regularly scheduled meeting on March 10th, 2020, to review the proposed project and voted to recommend the request. The vote was 8 approved and 0 denied.
The West End Implementation Committee did not have a meeting scheduled for the applicant to attend. The chair of the Implementation Committee decided to attend the Neighborhood Association meeting, instead.
Zoning Advisory Committee Action:
The Zoning Advisory Committee met at its regularly scheduled meeting on June 2nd, 2020, to review the applicant’s rezoning request and voted to RECOMMEND approval.
Planning & Zoning Committee Meeting Action:
The Planning and Zoning Committee Met at its regularly scheduled meeting on July 15th, and voted to RECOMMEND approval.
