Meeting Minutes for June 2020

Crestwood South Neighborhood Association Arbor Terrace Rezoning Request Meeting
June 22, 2020
President: Kayla MacNeil
Vice President: Elizabeth Murray
Secretary: Steven MacNeil

The application to the Birmingham Planning Commission Zoning Advisory Committee can be viewed by clicking here.

Presentation materials provided by Birmingham Metro LLC and Schoel Engineering can be viewed by clicking here.

Final ZAC Staff recommendations can be viewed by clicking here.

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• President MacNeil introduces the Birmingham Metro LLC. leadership and the purpose of the meeting: to consider their zoning request for their proposed Arbor Terrace development on the site of the old Trinity Hospital property.

• Walter Scholl, engineering, Birmingham Metro LLC.

  • Asking for rezoning for two sites at Trinity Hospital site from B6 (institutional) to C2 (residential) and from B6 to MUH (mixed use development)

  • Demo hospital and build a new multi-family residency, senior home, mixed retail in its place

• Will Kadish:

  • Speaks about the importance of the neighborhood to the city and gives a brief
    overview of the plans for the site

• Walter Scholl:

  • Lot 2 along Montclair Road will be developed with single story residencies

  • Lot 3 is the existing parking lot

  • Lot 4 is the existing hospital structure which is planned for demolition and senior care facility will be built in its place

  • Lots 6 and 7 (offices) are being renovated

  • Lot 8 is planned to host more residential use

  • Half of the existing tree cover will remain

  • Drainage is a concern for the property, but care is being taken to ensure no downstream issues are caused by the development

• QA:

  • Sandy Melof:

    • Q: Asks question about the green area on Montclair Road, will area remain
      wooded?

    • A: Scholl answers that 50% of the tree cover will remain as planned

  • Elizabeth Murray

    • Q: Have the plans for the lot along Montclair changed since the last meeting and will those buildings be apartments or condos?

    • A: The existing nature trails will be maintained and there will be a 50 foot buffer between the new development and Montclair Road

  • John Lanier

    • Q: Are there any plans for lot 4-B which surrounds Civitan headquarters and considering rumors that Civitan is considering relocating, is Birmingham Metro considering purchasing the property if Civitan were to move.

    • A: The development will be one-story and will protect the views of the neighbors to the north. There may be modest development that could be there; but it would have a limit to the height in this area per zoning restrictions.

  • Jill Prestridge

    • Q: On page 4, the "not a part" statement...will the old building remain?

    • A: The building in question is the 880 building that is not a part of this plan.

  • Stacy Gordon

    • Q: Will there be a place in the development to host the Crestwood Community Band?

    • A: We want to foster growth within the community will take it under
      consideration and will continue the conversation offline.

  • Jody Gottlieb

    • Q: Lot 2, I keep hearing about the preservation of the trail system in the
      woods; however, there only appears to be a trail at Montclair Road and the
      remainder of the trails are removed. Am I misreading the plan?

    • A: You are reading the plan correctly. The developer is looking at the plan and further identifying how the trail can be improved in a professional way. The developer is willing to do extensive work to connect the trail to the neighborhood as the community would like for the trail to be connected. The priority as of this moment is to preserve the ponds to the site and enhancement of the lower trail to the site. There can be a discussion to the community to enhance the trails above the site.

  • Scott Michelfelder

    • Q: It would be a good idea if the upper trail could be connected to the Clairmont Community. Will the traffic exiting the site move to 52nd street and Dan Hudson?

    • A: The traffic will be dispersed to both locations and this will be a bidirectional ingress/egress.

  • Clayton Swinney

    • Q: Will there be turn lights be added at the intersection of 52nd and Montclair to address the additional traffic?

    • A: There is already a light there and while traffic will increase, it is not expected to necessitate additional traffic mitigation

    • Q: Will the condos be for rent or purchase and if for sale, what type of price range should be expected?

    • A: The condos, about 70 in number, will be for purchase for a high price

  • Councilwoman Valorie Abbott

    • Q: Lot 2, the commitment to leave 50% of the trees and ponds, will this be
      committed to in writing or will this be a verbal statement?

    • A: This will be a written commitment that this will occur.

    • Q: What is the height of the apartment buildings that will face Montclair?

    • A: They will be four-story buildings under the 75-foot zoning limitation

  • Thomas Higden

    • Q: Will there be a website where the community can follow the development of the property?

    • A: This is an idea that can be discussed in the future.

  • Jessica Burton, Police Community Relations Assistant BPD

    • Q: What are the plans for security to the site?

    • A: Mr. Carter and Patriot Security have been associated with the property from day one. Cameras have also been installed on the property and the security measures will be enhanced as the property is developed.

  • Councilman Hunter Williams

    • We have had a number of complaints dealing with the homeless population to the site and since the property has been purchased, the number of calls to the site have decreased significantly.

  • Elizabeth Murray

    • Q: Is there a possibility to place a safe sidewalk over 52nd St to link the Clairmont trail and the new development

    • A: It falls outside the property being considered but it is possible

• Vote

  • Stacy Gordon makes a motion to support proposed zoning request with Q conditions, seconded by John Lanier

  • Motion passes: 13 yes, 0 no votes

—

The following Q Conditions were submitted to the Zoning Advisory Board. If approved, the neighborhood recommends the following conditions are Prohibited Uses:

Lower Tract (Zoning C-2)

1. Adult Establishment

2. Arena

3. Automobile Sales

4. Automobile Service

5. Automobile/Light Truck Repair

6. Bus Station

7. Car Wash, Automated

8. Chicken Coop

9. Convenience Store

10. Donation Center

11. Family Day/Night Care Home

12. Family Group Day/Night Care Home

13. Funeral Home

14. Garage Sale/Yard Sale

15. Internment, Columbarium

16. Internment, Mausoleum

17. Off-Premise Sign

18. Opioid Replacement Therapy Treatment Facility

19. Payday Loan

20. Recycling Collection Center

21. Reservoir/Water Tank

22. Rummage Sale

23. Shopping Center

24. Solar Panel, Ground Mounted

25. Stadium

26. Title Loan/Pawnshop

Upper Tract (Zoning MU-H)

1. Adult Establishment

2. Arena

3. Automobile Sales

4. Automobile Service

5. Automobile/Light Truck Repair

6. Bus Station

7. Car Wash, Automated

8. Convenience Store

9. Donation Center

10. Family Day/Night Care Home

11. Funeral Home

12. Garage Sale/Yard Sale

13. Internment, Columbarium

14. Internment, Mausoleum

15. Off-Premise Sign

16. Opioid Replacement Therapy Treatment Facility

17. Payday Loan

18. Recycling Collection Center

19. Reservoir/Water Tank

20. Rummage Sale

21. Shopping Center

22. Solar Panel, Ground Mounted

23. Stadium

24. Title Loan/Pawnshop

25. Warehouse