Historic Preservation Commission approves draft MOA with Montgomery Housing Authority for Parks Place parking, subject to fencing details

The Montgomery City Historic Preservation Commission on a unanimous voice vote approved a draft memorandum of agreement with the Montgomery Housing Authority (MHA) that lays out mitigation for a planned parking lot at the Parks Place community (formerly Cleveland Courts), subject to follow-up on fencing specifications.

Commission staff explained that Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires federal undertakings that adversely affect historic properties to consider and mitigate those effects. Sean Rose, Historic Preservation staff, told the commission an adverse visual effect was found for the Parks Place setting and for the Southern Pride Elks Lodge across the street and summarized proposed mitigation stipulations.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) identifies mitigation actions that would be binding once executed. They include softening the parking-lot appearance through fencing and vegetative buffers (the Alabama Historical Commission requested a combination where possible), installing low, pedestrian-level and shielded lighting, refurbishing and reinstalling an existing Parks Place historic marker, and preparing updated state-level documentation for the Southern Pride Elks Lodge. Rose said he offered to prepare the updated documentation under the Secretary of the Interior professional standards so the housing authority would not have to pay outside costs.

A resident who spoke at the meeting said the project is urgently needed because current on-site parking is insufficient for about 150 dwelling units and roughly 90 existing spaces, which forces residents to park on surrounding streets and has created safety concerns. The resident said MHA had budgeted the project and expected to begin construction this year once environmental review and the Section 106 consultation are closed.

Commissioners discussed details of the mitigation, including the type of fence and the site entrances shown in MHA renderings. Housing authority representatives confirmed the proposed parking lot would provide about 50–55 spaces (depicted as 52 in site images) with the primary entrance on Rosa L. Parks Avenue and that the lots to be used were vacant land; no standing structures would be demolished.

With no objections, a commissioner made a motion to approve the draft MOA as written, “subject to the information that shall be provided regarding the fencing.” The commission voted by show of hands; the motion carried unanimously.

The MOA approval does not itself authorize construction. It establishes required mitigation actions the housing authority must complete as part of the federal review process. Staff said they will clarify the fencing specifications with the Alabama Historical Commission and incorporate any agreed language before final execution of the agreement.

Commissioners and staff identified next steps: clarify fence type and landscaping details in the MOA, finalize the updated documentation for the Southern Pride Elks Lodge, and complete the federal environmental clearance so the housing authority can proceed with construction.