Homewood committee advances Sanford/Landmark Creekside proposals to public hearings after developer briefing and resident objections

The Homewood City Planning and Development Committee on May 19 moved several rezoning and development-plan items tied to Sanford University and Landmark Development out of committee without recommendation and scheduled public hearings, after a developer presentation and extended public comment. The committee vote sends the Creekside West/Creekside East and related items to a June public hearing process; the committee and council will consider any incentive request afterward.

The action matters because the proposals would rezone multiple parcels for a phased mixed-use project, add roughly 430 housing units and a hotel, and seek a long-term tax-sharing incentive the city would have to review separately. Committee members emphasized the need for public hearings so that residents can comment and the city can evaluate traffic, stormwater, environmental and fiscal impacts.

At the meeting, Bob Dunn of Landmark Development outlined the Creekside West plan, describing a mixed-use center with retail, dining, entertainment, office, residential buildings and a hotel clustered around a community space. "This is the Creekside West development as proposed," Dunn said, describing a multi-phase project he estimated would typically take about "7 to 10 year[s]" to build and that could total "$700 - eight hundred million dollars of development over time." He said Creekside East would largely retain existing recreational…