Peacock Tract nomination moves forward with reduced boundary; staff report Southern Courier marker and zoning updates

Staff told the Historic Preservation Commission that the Peacock Tract nomination to the National Register of Historic Places is being submitted with a reduced boundary after guidance from the National Park Service, and that staff will continue to pursue future boundary revisions.

Why it matters: A National Register listing can inform planning and public awareness; the commission noted the nomination’s unusual inclusion of a highway interchange as a contributing resource and its potential to expand how the city interprets cultural loss tied to highways and displacement.

Peacock Tract nomination: Staff said the National Park Service requested a reduced boundary, removing some vacant lots from the proposed district. One commissioner noted staff would still "submit that" revised nomination and that the nomination could be revisited later: "we still have an opportunity to perhaps later on go back and revisit that." Staff and commissioners said listing the highway interchange as a contributing resource is "groundbreaking" and that similar patterns have been documented in places such as Atlanta and New Orleans, where highway construction affected Black neighborhoods.

Southern Courier marker and local projects: Staff reported attending the unveiling of a Southern Courier marker at the corner of Commerce and Bibb and encouraged commissioners and the public to view the marker. Staff also described ongoing work on Old Cloverdale design guidelines (an appendix with neighborhood descriptions) and said the city is updating the zoning code and the Montgomery 2040 comprehensive plan.

Timelines and next steps: Staff said Module 1 of the zoning-code rewrite is online for review; module 2 and subdivision regulations will follow, and the zoning code might not be finalized until March 2026. The comprehensive plan and a related "smart code" update were described as likely at least a year away. Staff said the Peacock Tract National Register nomination is being submitted and that the listing could be used as momentum for local designation work and future grant applications, though staff cautioned that the federal grant environment for "cultural heritage" projects has been uncertain.

No formal commission vote occurred on these staff updates; the items were informational and intended to keep the commission and public apprised of preservation-related planning and nominations.