Planning commission recommends Creekside rezoning and final development plans amid habitat and height concerns

The Homewood Planning Commission on an April 2025 night voted to forward rezoning and final development plan recommendations for the Creekside mixed‑use project to the city council while pressing the applicant on environmental protections, stormwater, traffic and the height of a proposed hotel.

The recommendation matters because the commission’s votes move the rezoning and development plans to the council for final decisions; several commissioners said they wanted clearer commitments on habitat protection and design limits before council action.

Landmark Development representative Bob Dunn told the commission the applicant team — which includes Samford University and a Johnson Controls affiliate — has pursued broad community engagement and technical review and plans to form a development advisory group to work with technical experts on a comprehensive Creekside master plan and recorded covenants. “We feel strongly that this process is working,” Dunn said. He added, “Trust us to do this well. Trust us to do this right.”

Commissioners and speakers repeatedly raised the project’s potential impacts on the Shades Creek watershed, including vernal pools and salamander breeding habitat, stormwater management, light and sound from athletic fields, traffic around Lakeshore Drive and the scale and location of taller buildings on…