Self-Storage Company Appeals Moratorium, Council Votes To Continue Hearing In Six Weeks

Once again, the Birmingham City Council held a public hearing regarding a self-storage facility that is appealing the July 2 vote to place a six-month moratorium on such facilities in the city.

Following a lengthy debate, the Council voted to continue the hearing on October 8, allowing for members to consider the future projects for the corridor on Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. where the proposed facility would be located.

Here is the item as it appeared on the agenda:

The moratorium, which was submitted by Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, also leaves room for an additional 90-days if more time is needed to evaluate current zoning. During the public hearing portion on Tuesday, all of the business owners and residents who spoke voiced their disapproval of the proposed project.

Representatives from Morningstar Storage presented their site plans to the council and spoke to how their facility would serve the community. The company has operated in Birmingham for five years and have invested $2.6 million on preparing the site that sits across the street from Vulcan Park and Museum.

Several Councilors voiced concern about the future walkability of the corridor and the proximity to one of Birmingham’s most iconic attractions.

“I appreciate the depth of the presentation,” Council President Valerie Abbott said following the Morningstar presentation. “The work you have done thus far would have to be done no matter what the project would be. I read the documentation and it led me to believe that you have no idea that the city plans to narrow the road to two lanes. It’s soon going to be very walkable. People are going to be able to walk over the mountain… Part of that is to connect the corridor to Vulcan trail. The idea is to make this a vibrant area and self-storage is not the best use here, in my opinion.”

As part of the complete streets ordinance passed in 2018, the corridor on Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. that cuts through Red Mountain will soon be reduced to two lanes, and include walkways and bike lanes, better connecting downtown Birmingham to Homewood.

Councilor Wardine Alexander expressed concern that the neighborhood residents were opposed to the self-storage facility that would be located along the future walkable corridor.

“It concerns me that the neighborhood and the people who live there have not been given the consideration,” Alexander said. “I’m all for development and people creating business. We need to look at the growing population of the city. I still feel like we need to consider the neighborhood.”

In order to study the future impact of the proposed development and how it would fit into the complete streets plan for the corridor, the council moved to continue the public hearing in six weeks, on October 8, 2019. The Council will hear two more appeals from self-storage companies at the September 3 meeting.