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Homewood council resets public hearing for Sanford University "Bulldog District" to July 28
Summary
The Homewood City Council carried over a public hearing on Sanford University’s proposed Bulldog District after staff discovered a parcel identification error; council set a new hearing for July 28 and allowed public comment tonight.
The Homewood City Council on Monday carried over a public hearing on Sanford University’s proposed "Bulldog District" and set a new hearing for July 28, 2025, after staff said the legal parcel description in the notice contained a typo.
City staff told the council the Stadium Village parcel ID had an error in the advertised legal description, so the city must re-advertise and allow another hearing. President Jones opened the hearing and asked Cale Smith to explain the issue; Smith said the city and Sanford had reviewed the records and elected to re-advertise "to make this done correctly." The council then set a new public hearing date for July 28 at 6 p.m.; the motion was made by Councilor Andrews and seconded by Councilor Hardin and passed 10-0.
The proposal under consideration would permit construction of two residential villages providing three student residence halls with associated parking, landscaping and site improvements on property near Lakeshore Drive. Planning staff reported the Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend the item move forward to council. Tonight’s action was procedural only: the council did not vote on the development plan itself.
Members of the public were allowed to speak during the hearing. Brooke Gibson asked whether questions could be addressed before July 28; staff replied the council would hear the matter again and could answer questions then. A nearby resident said existing buildings closest to their house are two stories and expressed concern that proposed buildings up to six stories would be "a big jump" and asked whether buffers would be included. Planning staff clarified that the Stadium Village site "overlooks the stadium" and is on the other side of the baseball field from the houses cited by the speaker.
Councilors emphasized the procedural reason for the delay. "We need to allow anyone that wants to speak, to speak," President Jones said while opening the hearing, and the council followed with the formal motion to reset the hearing date.
The council also noted the bid-opening schedule related to the project will be adjusted after the corrected public notice is issued. The council will hear the development plan again at the July 28 public hearing.
