Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Yes. Yes. Okay. We're uh going to call to order the April 7 meeting, April 2026 meeting rather of the Homewood Planning Commission. If we could please start with a roll call. All right. Mr. Roberts here. Miss Charles here. Mr. Sims here. Mr. Stamps here. Mr. Underwood here. Mr. RPento here. Mr. Harwell here, Miss Wilcott, and Mr. Henninger.

All right. Thank you. Uh, moving on. Um, uh, we had included with our packets were the May I'm sorry, May the U January 2026 minutes. I took a look at them. They looked good as they usually do to me. Uh unless someone else has concerns about the minutes, I would entertain uh that we approve the minutes without a reading. I entertain a motion to approve. So moved. Second. All in favor?

Opposed? Okay. Minutes are passed. Um communications. Um our vice chair is not here. Uh, as chair, the only communication I have is we like to welcome Ken Childs uh to to the uh planning commission. Uh, she recently finished a tour duty with the BZA and has joined us for the next six years. I wanted you to know that that's a six-year um tour of duty and hopefully that was disclosed to you up front. Anyway, we look forward to working with you and want to welcome you to the planning commission. Um, all right. Well, then we're going to move on to uh new business. We had old business, but it was a a case withdrawn. Uh, new business, one case tonight, RZ26-04-01, uh, relating to 23, sorry, 2773 and 2777 BM Montgomery Street. Uh, the applicant is Christine Thornton and the owner is Jared Lewis. Uh, if whoever is here to present on this case would come forward. Ma may I make a comment though going back to that first the first case under old business. Uh it just to clarify that it dealt with a amended development plan for uh Trent United Methodist Church in West Homewood at 914 Oak Grove Road. It was originally noticed to the adjacent property owners within 500 ft actually that there would be a meeting but subsequently the uh applicant requested it be withdrawn. So that's why we went forward. So anyone listening online or that might have even be attending tonight that case has been withdrawn just to clarify that.

No, thanks for the clarification. Appreciate it. Okay. And if you could just say your name uh and your address and also write them down on the pad. Um Christine Thornton. Um you want my home address? Yes. Okay. Uh 3431 Norwood Boulevard. Okay. Okay. Um Mr. Thornton, just tell us a little bit about your case while you're here, what you're asking us to consider.

Sure. Um so we are asking for the properties at 2773 and 277 B in Montgomery be reszoned from C2, the neighborhood shopping district to C4, Central Business District. um with the purpose of moving a current uh tenant and business owner in Homewood Provision Studios over to this larger space um so they can continue to operate their gym. Um reason being fitness was not included in the C2 use.

Okay. Well, thank you. Um this is a public hearing. If anyone here is here tonight to speak on this case, this is your opportunity to come forward. And Mr. Thornton, you might just want to step aside for a second and we'll we get back to you with some questions in a moment.

Hey there. Uh my name is Greg Baird and I own the building 2767 BM Montgomery Street next door to the one being discussed. I know uh Provision Studio. I don't really have a problem with that. It's a I think it's a Pilates club, but we have a lot of gyms right in that area, like four right there. Um there's Iron Tribe Fitness, there's Squad Fitness, uh there's the new one that the person who who just bought this building owns it used to be Huffetler's Hardware uh right there. And then you have Provision. So that's four. It's not that I have a big problem with u fitness studios is parking is an issue because they always spill over their parking. I don't I don't know specifically about provision but uh the building I have I have tenants in there and and they don't need a real loud or I don't want a real loud uh neighbor. And I know Iron Tribe, part of what they do is, you know, they blast the music because that's part of their whole thing. And people jog up and down the street and just crank up the music. Well, I mean, I've got a business there. I've been there for quite a while and I don't want a lot of loud music. Uh, and I don't want cars all in my driveway. And you can say, "Well, we'll tell them not to park in my driveway." And they do have parking a parking spot um an extra lot.

Yeah, Mr. Mayor, I think I think they're going to address parking when we question that. Okay. But that parking is already being used by a karate studio. So I just I don't want parking to be an issue, which it always is. Homewood has a shortage of parking. Uh okay. I want to clarify. Well, we'll we'll wait. But my understand that the martial arts the two there are two buildings involved with this the larger building. They're they're going to be united together, combined together. So that martial arts is going away. It's included in the building that will become the fitness center. So okay, that presumably they're going away and right whatever.

Thank you. No, I understand. Oh, I didn't I didn't realize that. I appreciate that. But presumably they're going to add some more clients. So yeah, still going to be a lot of people. Okay. Thank you. Uh if you I'm sorry if you just wait until we have everyone's had a chance to speak and then we would love for you to address all the all the points raised. Thank you. Hi, I'm Margaret Verden. I'm the owner of Provision. Um do you need my address? Uh yes, please. I'm at 421 Berry Avenue in Homewood and I would love to tell you a little about us and then address some of that as well if that's okay.

Okay. I I think I appreciate that and I think we we you can have an opportunity to do that once we've closed the public portion since you're I guess related to the applicant. Yeah. Fred, I think that's probably right. Better for her to wait until we've Yeah. Until until we've closed the public portion so that that people are not involved in the application can speak. Okay. Do you want me to answer those or just wait?

Just wait. Just wait for just a minute. Thank you. Okay. Does anyone else in the public want to speak on this case tonight? Okay. Seeing no one, we'll close the public portion and you guys can come back up and um in whichever order or uh take turns addressing those questions. Obviously, and we'll have some questions as well, but obviously the couple points were raised. One about parking. Uh I think the other one was just about loud music, but um if you could just address the the parking issue. Sure. Um so I understand parking because of all this is an issue.

I'm sorry. Yeah, speaking to the mic in the area. So, we have a parking plane that was up here earlier. So, we're providing more than the needed parking for this use. Um, and like Fred mentioned, the karate studio that's there. This will all be one property now. Um, so all of these spaces, I think it's uh 21 total will be for them. Um, and that more than accommodates the number of people she would have at any given time for a class because there it's not sort of the same model as CrossFit or something like that where people can just show up. There is a certain amount of spots. So,

it's appointment like it's appointment workouts. Um and then in regards to the sound, um these are older metal shed construction type buildings and part of the renovation that we have already gotten priced and is planned for is to do very intense um interior insulation, um spray foam, the walls, the roofs, and then between the classrooms, we're going to have double stud sound walls um in an attempt to address that as well as just um you know, heating and cooling costs for a building like this. So hopefully sound will not be an issue.

Thank you. That that's very helpful. Um and just another point that was actually addressed in the application, but we didn't discuss earlier. I think there was some discussion of some profers that the property owner was willing to make with regard to um the potential uses and restrictions to uses for C4 going forward. Right. Um we would give up um fast food drive-thru, gas station, liquor store, um vape and smoke shop, those type establishments. So um that is what we would like to profer and just know that those would not come.

Okay. And I appreciate you listing that. And there were a couple others uh that came up in some of the public comment. a couple of other uses that and just wanted to see if it was something that could be agreed to. Uh, one was auto parts store and the other was a theater. Uh, are those uses and the owners here?

Yes, sir. And if you could come up, I'm sorry if you could state your name for the record. We need to have all this in the minutes so we have a clean record of what all was said. I'm Jared Lewis and in regards to auto parts store that that sounds I don't know why they don't want that but okay.

Well I I think there's looking at maybe more intense uses with more people coming in and out more cars and kind of a more crowded environment in a an area where there's not a ton of parking. Um so those are the two items that have been pointed out a theater and an auto parts store. And I think we can agree not to put a theater there. I think we can agree to that. Okay. But not the auto parts part store. No. No auto parts. No. Okay. I'm sorry. No theater. We'll agree to both of those.

Okay. All right. Let's just make sure we have a um a full list. So, you agreed no packaged liquor, no uh tobacco or vape, retail shops, uh no gas stations, no drive-thru food and beverage, no auto parts store, and no theaters. That I agree to that. Okay, thank you. And um if there are no other questions from the commission, I entertain a motion to approve. A second.

And again, the motion I assume is is also has these profers that have already been agreed to the conditions, right? To include those the exclusion of those uses. Correct. Correct. That Mr. whoever that is, please turn on your mic.

So, the other condition, Mr. Lewis that that um we would recommend that you accept is that the parking and that the site plan be followed the site plan that was submitted with the parking and right and that will kind of lock them into that condition site plan. And may I further clarify and it would also be included in part of the recommendation of the city council that the recommended zoning is conditioned on the properties being reszoned into a single lot. Right. concurrently but that needs to take place before the zoning is so that should also be part of that recommendation. Right. So three conditions would be the

right so Mr. Harold it would be it would be the the restriction of uses the restriction of uses the site plan and materials that have been presented a new motion. Well, first no the the subdivision is not before the planning it it's that's a ministerial act. It would just be a condition of the reason. It's it should be understood and the city council needs to understand that the zoning should not take place until the properties have been reserveyed into a single lot. So that that needs to be part of the recommendation to them so they're aware of that.

Right. So, the way it'll work is they'll go through this process, then they'll go to council, then once council gets approve gets approval, then they'll come back with their final plat, we'll sign off on it, and that'll kind of be the last step of the zoning. I have a quick question, Conrad. If we um condition it to where they can't stray from their site plan now, what happens if we are in the permitting process? And it allows for like a 10% change. I mean, but it has to stay demonstrabably the same. Okay. Conrad, is your goal the number of parking spots or the actual site plan so that 15 years if they want to move the front door or

that's not part of this the the door isn't part of the site plan, but it's showing sort of how the building lays out where the parking is and that sort of thing. So to it sort of ensures that what's being presented in the resoning documents is what actually takes place. I I think we would sign a document that says we will provide as many parking spaces are represented in this submitt. Okay.

And we would adhere to that. And I think that we are working hard to provide substantially more parking than anyone else has in the area or anyone else can provide in the area for our tenants. And we've gone well above and beyond anything else you're going to see in the area. And I think everyone here can agree with that. And we will provide all the part. We want to make you look at any of our buildings in the city and I would argue that we are in keeping with the highest and best renovations in the area and we will continue to do so.

I'm sorry. Sorry. The public portion of this is closed. I was going to say I don't have a problem that Well, thank No, thank you.

If that makes your Yeah, we can provide 21 landscape architects. Yes, that's correct. 21. Good. Yes. Basically posters to approve subject to parking 21 parking spots and restriction on theater package stores auto stores tobacco and service station auto part stores oh

clarification question again I I thought the the initial motion was made Uh, Mr. Sims, I thought, and seconded by Mr. RPento. Then we had Yeah. Was it you? Yeah. It was always Mr. Yeah. I'm sorry. My back is to Okay. So, all right. That's fine. That's fine. Make sure I didn't get that.

Okay. I guess. Are we ready for a vote then? Yes. Should we get a second? All right. Are we ready for a vote then? I think I think we've made the motion. It's been seconded. Very good. All right. All right. Uh, Mr. Stamps? Yes. Miss Childs? Yes. Mr. Sims? Yes. Mr. Underwood? Yes. Mr. RPento? Yes. Mr. Harwell? Yes. And Mr. Roberts. Yes. So, um, your case will go to city council with a positive, unanimously positive recommendation. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. All right. So, um, let moving on. Um, no other new business communications from the staff. Okay, seeing that. All right. Well, I guess we'll adjourn the meeting then. Thank you.