[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6211560,"mediaKeyId","3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31","parentId",3694984,"title","Homewood BZA approves small picket fence at 310 Saint Charles Street for child safety","audioSeconds",489,"startMs",5878000,"endMs",6367000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31&start=5878&end=6367","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31/thumbnail_5878000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6211560/Homewood-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Homewood-BZA-approves-small-picket-fence-at-310-Saint-Charles-Street-for-child-safety","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211560-6e220ada386bbf4c74d2e08192165001/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183454&Signature=YKWBYGswVtXS2l9fPw8X-XI-Wven1pd3rfH6SVuZb-W9di0J77ly2YYte50n1kACDtDDx1iqA8Wws7od9FTxHPiVNxUiXSPiuYdgqj3O2cbkCUBvNOplAyLnC6jzXa8kWqTUwg4yxRACy7d9G3-x6ArlNPb~L9O83K0IWTqmlHkihc1Hwbwz6cpy~HJfQeuXkQLOt8wYppgBr6VaaQ-wA4nKmUYhNKRUuxcsJ62cyAME-wtejdiFGGNdwhjSuq4fi2QGmUP4T6SI75k4fBC1WU8VdhMTnsLobbLd80SECUAsJ~f~cEp2qKwdkmG3k4NrNsSHp2wEWzeRxBm3URQU0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Homewood, AL","date","2025-06-06T12:59:44Z","article","The Homewood City Board of Zoning Adjustment voted June 2 to approve a variance allowing a three-foot picket fence at the property line of 310 Saint Charles Street so the homeowners can safely use a side patio that opens directly onto a busy street.

Scott Wiseman, who with his wife Meredith owns the property, told the board they have two young children and need the fence to secure the side patio area. \"We have 2 young kids. We've got a almost 3 year old in July and a 1 year old son,\" Scott Wiseman said, describing the safety concern that prompted the request.

The applicants said no work had been done on the fence prior to the hearing and that a prior picket fence had existed at the property before construction. Staff confirmed the property line and right-of-way configuration along Irving Avenue and noted the right-of-way and curb locations when explaining measurement points. Board members reviewed photographs and a map during their deliberation.

After discussion the board moved and seconded approval for the three-foot picket fence at the side patio; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with one opposing vote recorded and the board granted the applicants one year to apply for the permit. The board clerk noted the approval carries the standard one-year window to apply for permits.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Homewood BZA Meeting June 5, 2025 6pm","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved a variance allowing a three-foot picket fence at the property line of 310 Saint Charles Street to enable safe use of a side patio for a family with young children.","taxTitle","Homewood City, Jefferson County, Alabama","taxId",65544,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6211563,"Homewood BZA denies variance for privacy fence that exceeds height over engineered retaining wall",1081,4767000,5848000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31&start=4767&end=5848","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31/thumbnail_4767000.jpg","/articles/6211563/Homewood-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Homewood-BZA-denies-variance-for-privacy-fence-that-exceeds-height-over-engineered-retaining-wall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211563-f0e2f4b538b11252c4debc948011c0a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183454&Signature=chHU5xUaGOWe65yO3WCS7zI7HX7KwqSFMV-Pr7SAdKusI5UdPV6b9xcD-3zEwC6TTvrnGviwO4Ak7VKI4GX5bpe-aiLgiDZ~sDGwBSOtnIcnjHbEwSEZ5i6KaELsCA3PMx3M-KTk5jFjQvikLNhZvrpNr1ZyU66WzfRvpWj-taujmdMLPF4cQthODs3QqgQkASBXDf7Lay3PZgV2xN0SGhO5Ht65eTWEeVbyfcjwJU0qZ-BXSzbcMzPiNZK9ijp8wm5XMudJs51pJCLZDHDdw-3XrGpdXLGdCDGKmmcz5LZeO61OGzdidUnPvRsB0bYOosMCrqaIzAt8JD19pa-0XA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Homewood City Board of Zoning Adjustment on June 2 denied a variance request for a privacy fence installed on top of a newly engineered retaining wall at 1644 20 Eighth Avenue South, finding the request did not meet the approval threshold.

Danny Treywick, vice president of engineering with GSLD Land Management, told the board the fence sits on an engineered retaining wall and exceeds the zoning-permitted height by about 2 feet, 3 inches because the homeowner’s lot is at a lower grade than adjacent properties. \"We had to tear out her old retaining wall and reengineer a new wall,\" Treywick said, explaining why the fence now measures above the allowable height.

Treywick said both adjacent neighbors had signed letters of approval for the fence alignment and that the work followed a building permit that had addressed the retaining wall. City staff clarified the building permit application had covered the retaining wall but had not separately included fence details, which would have triggered zoning review for fence height. Staff said the master plan showing a 6-foot privacy fence was not part of the building permit submittal.

Board members examined how the fence attaches to the wall and noted the posts are bolted into a notch in the cap of the retaining wall. Members also raised that the measurement for fence height is taken from the lot where the fence is placed; a neighbor at a higher grade would not need a variance measured from their lot.

A motion to approve the variance was moved and seconded. Roll-call votes were recorded; while several members voted yes, the motion did not achieve the required unanimous positive votes among seated members and the board denied the variance. The board advised the applicant to contact zoning staff for next steps and for details on how to proceed.","A request to allow a privacy fence placed on top of a newly engineered retaining wall to exceed the permitted height was denied by the Board of Zoning Adjustment; neighbors signed letters of support but the board recorded the denial.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6211568,"Homewood BZA approves height variances for three Samford University residence projects with conditions",4131,556000,4687000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31&start=556&end=4687","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3694984-c11f0b854adea93c70663298dd40ac31/thumbnail_556000.jpg","/articles/6211568/Homewood-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Homewood-BZA-approves-height-variances-for-three-Samford-University-residence-projects-with-conditions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211568-24b659874f79d7699ff99f33d37921ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183454&Signature=J2Vuu4P82B-hj7KySIqnd-ma0Ih96S4P~I5rPHGyGr9nVKCyK4eCyrMDAmGBYZ31SMUvjZI9GhmfQJSg0fLkJYnJy9sjt65Dvwv8NEvcDjHvPL-WfpXzA5lZYuoPtz311HeqNNuNQlLHYadiskTTkOQqBle3wqzBi7X87RiryERKx2Cm3~2QLYerTWhFgOBcPM2DN-Qf5GHbPe2ymFMqMtmQUNjfkDnvi9v2qWv-M88no8CtN6ccBuKTcU70pqwbg8oirnwuBIzkScMCLX0kcBIfA9r~bBRZqSpX6CYOfj5BN4VPdeIJm-lFaDq3paVtI1Odm48a3tFiG2ZQhX8JaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Homewood City Board of Zoning Adjustment approved variances on June 2 that allow Samford University to build taller residence buildings on campus, with conditions including a photometric plan, lower-profile and shielded exterior lighting, and substantial landscape buffering.

The variances cover three related projects — two West Village buildings and Stadium Village — which Samford said are intended to increase on-campus student housing and preserve a residential campus ethos. \"We have a 75 undergraduate occupancy requirement that we have been unable to meet,\" said Jeff Polacek, associate vice president for construction operations and planning at Samford University, explaining the university's need for the projects.

The university asked the board for increases in maximum heights: 48.5 feet for two West Village buildings and 52.5 feet for Stadium Village, which Samford representatives said are stepped down with campus topography so taller portions sit farther into the campus. \"We pushed the majority and the tallest parts of the building farthest into campus, so they're not sitting right on Lakeshore,\" said Lynette Crandall, a member of the university's development, design and engineering team.

Neighbors and former board members urged caution. Beverly Bridal LaBeouf, a former BZA chair, told the board she was speaking in opposition and urged members to consider the precedent a variance could set: \"Any variance you give could have an impact down the line on another case because you've opened that avenue for someone else to use,\" she said. John Manzelli, a Lakeshore Drive resident, asked that consideration be postponed until after an upcoming election and referenced broader development concerns: \"This is not the day to try to push this through.\" Suzanne Andrews, whose neighborhood backs the campus, said the proposed buildings \"feel like it's encroaching into our neighborhood.\"

Staff and the planning commission told the board the projects had been the subject of an amended development plan that received a positive recommendation from the planning commission and will go before city council for a public hearing in late June; notices will go to property owners within 500 feet. City staff also proposed contingencies on any variance approval — a photometric plan showing zero foot-candles at property lines, ground-mounted and building lighting limited to specified heights, shielded fixtures, and motion-activated parking lighting — and the board added those as conditions.

Board members recorded votes on the individual variance requests and on contingencies. The record shows motions and roll-call votes on the three related requests; the board specified that approvals carry a one-year window to apply for permits. The university representatives said construction sequencing could be phased and that the projects would add substantial new bed capacity and underground parking; Samford stated the West Village project would add about 872 beds and Stadium Village about 2,220 beds, and that the new construction would add parking stalls (the team said 1,594 net new stalls between projects).

The board's action does not replace the forthcoming city council review of the amended development plan; council public hearings remain an additional step before building permits can be issued. The board's approval included explicit contingencies tied to lighting, photometrics and landscape buffering intended to limit spillover impacts to adjacent residential properties.

The board set the usual permit window and advised residents that the city council public hearing on the development plan was scheduled for public notice in late June.","The Homewood Board of Zoning Adjustment approved variances allowing increased building heights for three Samford University residence projects, imposing landscaping, lighting and photometric contingencies and one-year permit windows.","actionData","errors"]

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Homewood BZA approves small picket fence at 310 Saint Charles Street for child safety

Homewood BZA denies variance for privacy fence that exceeds height over engineered retaining wall

Homewood BZA approves height variances for three Samford University residence projects with conditions