Opportunity to serve the City of Birmingham: Planning Commission Vacancies!
There are two (2) open seats on the Birmingham Planning Commission. If you wish to serve, the requirements are:
- You must be a resident of the City of Birmingham.
- You must not be a City of Birmingham employee.
- Please submit a one page letter of interest along with a résumé to:
Councilor Steven W. Hoyt, City Hall/3rd Floor
710 North, 20th Street
Birmingham, AL 35203
OR email steven.hoyt@birminghamal.gov
Additionally, there is one (1) open seat on the Zoning Advisory Committee for a Licensed Real Estate Professional, with the same application deadline.
All letters of interest and résumés must be received by 5pm on Tuesday, December 19th!
The Birmingham Planning Commission
The Birmingham Planning Commission is the official planning agency for the City of Birmingham. Under Title 11, Chapter 52 of the Alabama Code as amended in 1975, its broad responsibility is to plan for the orderly physical development and/or redevelopment of the City, including its transportation network, community facilities, and the arrangement of land uses. Specifically, the Planning Commission is responsible for preparing and maintaining, on a current basis, a Comprehensive Plan which serves as an overall guide to coordinate private and public development within the City.
Read the Comprehensive Plan here:
https://www.birminghamal.gov/work/birmingham-comprehensive-plan/
In the course of its work, the Planning Commission acts on a variety of different planning-related issues including:
-Reviews and approves all construction projects by federal, state or local governments or agencies within Birmingham including: police and fire stations, libraries, public schools or colleges, parks, public utilities, airport facilities, etc.
-Considers appeals of Subdivision Committee decisions.
-Recommends initial zoning for properties annexed into the City.
-Approves and adopts neighborhood improvement plans identifying specific revitalization strategies and programs
-Approves master plans for the overall layout and development of public institutions within the City including: colleges, hospitals, airport, zoo, civic center, public housing projects, etc.
-Adopts and amends various elements of the City’s Comprehensive Plan including: land use, transportation, housing, community facilities, economic development, etc.
-Reviews and recommends the adoption of urban renewal and urban redevelopment plans, commercial revitalization plans and comprehensive rezoning plans.
Coordinating Committees
To assist it in its planning responsibilities, the Planning Commission has delegated certain functions to several subcommittees. Among these are the Subdivision Committee which controls the subdivision of land and makes recommendations to the Birmingham City Council regarding the vacation and dedication of public rights-of-way, and the Zoning Advisory Committee which makes recommendations to the City Council on the merits of applications for changes in the zoning of property. A third subcommittee, the Comprehensive Planning Committee, is an advisory body which reviews and makes recommendations to the Planning Commission relative to comprehensive, long-range planning issues. Lastly, the Project Review Committee is responsible for the review and approval of minor public facility improvements or projects that do not require action by the full Planning Committee.
APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESS
The Birmingham Planning Commission meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of Birmingham City Hall. Applicants should contact the staff of the City’s Planning Division located on the fifth floor (Room 500) to arrange a hearing by the Planning Commission. Staff will assist in determining what materials need to be submitted for review. While these materials will vary depending upon the type of proposal, in general, the type of information requested for a specific project includes: a site development plan illustrating the location of the proposed project in relation to surrounding properties, elevation drawings, parking layout plan, landscape plan, floor plans, and a color rendering of the project, if available.
In order to ensure an adequate amount of time for review by staff and proper notification, applicants should submit a complete package of information at least two weeks prior to the date of a hearing by the Planning Commission. It should be noted that the Planning Commission has adopted a policy that all projects be presented to the appropriate neighborhood association in which a project is located for review and input prior to consideration by the Planning Commission. Since most neighborhood associations only meet once a month, it is important that this requirement be taken into consideration in scheduling a project.
Projects determined to be minor in scope may be reviewed by the Project Review Committee rather than by the full Planning Commission. This Committee meets as needed on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at 4:30pm.
Membership
The Birmingham Planning Commission is comprised of sixteen (16) members. Four are ex-officio members consisting of: the Mayor, an administrative officer selected by the Mayor, and two members of the City Council. The remaining members consist of residents of the City of Birmingham who are appointed by the Birmingham City Council.
Planning Commission members have overlapping six (6) year terms which enable the Commission to benefit from the experience of its members while providing a degree of stability and continuity of perspectives on long range planning issues. It is a general policy of the City Council that the term of each member shall be limited to two consecutive terms.
For further information about the Planning Commission, please contact the Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits at (205) 254–2524.
