Homewood Planning Commission recommends against rezoning 8 Bonita Drive for pediatric clinic

The Homewood Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to send a negative recommendation to the City Council on a rezoning request for 8 Bonita Drive, a property the applicants say they plan to use for an expanded Alabama Pediatrics clinic.

The motion to approve the rezoning (case RZ25‑03‑01) failed in commission action after public comment. Commissioners Gulas, Andress, Respiento, Wilcott and Roberts voted “no,” and Commissioner Henninger recorded an abstention; the commission’s negative referral moves the matter to the City Council for final consideration.

The proposal would change the property’s land‑use designation from NPD (neighborhood planned district) to C2 (general commercial). Jared Bussey, the project architect, said the owners, Dr. Keith and Laura Stansell of Alabama Pediatrics, are Homewood residents who want a new building that better fits evolving medical‑office needs and argued the C2 zoning would create a buffer between U.S. Highway 31 and nearby houses.

“From a site strategy I think it does a good job of creating frontage along 31,” Bussey said, noting the plan includes a landscape buffer and that “there would be no variances required for what we’ve designed if the rezoning is granted.” Dr. Keith Stansell said the practice has expanded services and needs more space for things such as lactation and nutrition counseling but that the applicants do not intend to create a “mega pediatric complex.”

Neighbors who spoke during the public hearing urged the commission to preserve the NPD designation and to reject the rezoning. Josh Carpenter, who lives at 10 Bonita Drive adjacent to the site, said 48 households signed a letter opposing the change and raised concerns about increased traffic on 1920s‑era narrow streets and potential impacts on property values.

“We are pro‑development when it’s a good fit for the neighborhood and when the neighborhood is bought in,” Carpenter said. Other neighbors pressed the commission on parking, stormwater runoff and the scale of the proposed building. Resident Debbie Brazil said the submitted plan shows roughly 7,160 square feet of building area and about 24 parking spaces (including two handicapped stalls), and she and others argued the parking would be insufficient for peak periods and could push cars into surrounding streets.

The commission’s role is advisory; the City Council will make the final zoning decision. Chairman Goodwin and staff noted the commission was making only a recommendation and that final approvals and any required development plan would be decided by the council.

The commission record shows a motion to approve the rezoning was made and seconded during the meeting; the official vote tally was 0 yes, 5 no, 1 abstain. The commission’s negative recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for a public hearing and a final vote.

Opponents asked the council and planning staff to consider traffic impact analyses, parking studies and closer review of consistency with the city master plan, which they said designates the parcel for residential use. Supporters, including the applicants, said they are willing to work with the city and the neighborhood on site design and mitigation measures if rezoning is approved. The City Council will receive the commission’s recommendation as part of the formal rezoning process.