Commission recommends zoning change to allow limited drive‑throughs in PMUD Wildwood Center

Homewood Planning Department staff briefed the Planning Commission on a proposed amendment to Article 4 of the zoning ordinance to revise permitted uses in the Planned Mixed Use District (PMUD). The change would allow food and beverage drive‑throughs only in the Wildwood Center portion of PMUD and would apply the landscaping and design standards added in recent ordinance updates.

Hunter Martin, planning staff, said the PMUD use chart (section GG) currently omits drive‑through uses; the proposed amendment adds a restricted allowance and links it to the recent landscaping standards. "If this moves forward, we can allow drive‑throughs with what we added in the recent revisions with landscaping requirements and things like that," Martin said.

Why it matters: The amendment clarifies where drive‑throughs are allowed within PMUD so that only a specifically designated area — the Wildwood Center — could host that use. That limits drive‑throughs elsewhere in PMUD while providing a mechanism to approve them in one defined location if site and landscaping standards are met.

Vote and procedural note The commission voted to recommend the ordinance amendment to the City Council by a unanimous vote (recorded votes in the meeting transcript show all commissioners present voting in favor). The proposal will proceed to the council for consideration and a public hearing.

Ending: Staff presented the change as a code cleanup and a way to ensure the city applies consistent landscaping and design requirements if a drive‑through use is proposed in the future.