Homewood council adopts comprehensive zoning rewrite, folds sign rules into zoning

The Homewood City Council on April 20 adopted a comprehensive rewrite of the city's zoning ordinance, approving Ordinance 29-33 by an 11-0 vote.

Councilors said the 225-page redlined document updates multiple development rules and brings the sign regulations into the zoning code. Planning staff told the council the Planning and Development Committee had recommended the changes 5-0 during committee review. "We will require a boundary survey for any improvement," staff said while summarizing several highlights of the ordinance.

Why it matters: the rewrite changes how the city reviews new construction, clarifies sign rules and temporary sign dimensions, and adjusts standards that affect residential and commercial projects. The council and staff said the revisions aim to give clearer review standards for builders and applicants.

Most important changes the council cited include a requirement for a boundary survey for any improvement such as fences or driveways; a revised method for measuring maximum building height that requires existing site topography at the front foundation wall for new construction; a reduction in required drive-through stacking spaces from five to four per window; temporary signs limited to 4-by-4 feet with a 6-foot maximum height; updates to artificial turf rules, amenities in attached dwelling districts, and vehicle sales lot requirements; and incorporation of the city's sign ordinance into the zoning code.

The ordinance text references and repeals earlier local ordinances; the adoption document states that the new ordinance repeals Ordinance 28-87 (January 2024) and Article B (Signs) of Chapter 5, and that it becomes effective immediately upon adoption and mayoral approval unless otherwise stated.

Committee and council votes: the Planning and Development Committee reported a unanimous 5-0 committee recommendation on the revised draft (motion by Councilor Andy Guatney; second by Councilor Andrew Woolverton). At the full council meeting the motion for unanimous consent to consider the ordinance that night passed, and the final roll-call vote to adopt the ordinance was 11-0. The ordinance is recorded as Ordinance 29-33 and the adopting resolution states it becomes effective immediately per the code language read into the record.

What councilors said: councilors thanked planning staff for extensive review in committee and noted several changes were made after multiple hearings. No members recorded a dissenting vote at either the committee or council level.

What comes next: sections of the ordinance that require exhibits or detailed maps were published as redlines to give public notice; the council set related public hearings and committee referrals for other planning matters on the agenda. The city clerk read the ordinance caption and the procedural sections that set a public hearing time and describe severability and repeal of prior provisions.

Ending: Councilors and staff said the rewrite is intended to provide clearer standards for applicants and to consolidate sign rules into a single code chapter, and they indicated that specific development applications will continue to be reviewed under the new standards now on the books.