Planning committee calls for contract with Butcher & Sons for demolition program; council committee confirms design review board appointment

Baberton — The Baberton City Council Planning, Annexation and Codes Committee on March 3 voted to call for legislation authorizing a contract with Butcher and Sons to perform the 2025 residential demolition program and advanced a mayoral appointment to the design review board.

Planning Director Stacy Carr sent a letter requesting city authorization to enter into a contract with Butcher and Sons; the committee voted to call for the ordinance with one reading and emergency wording requested and referred the item to the finance committee. Committee members asked no substantive policy questions during the meeting and voted in favor of the motion.

The committee also moved and approved the appointment of Jill McCune to the Design Review Board for a term beginning immediately and ending Dec. 31, 2027. Committee members noted McCune had previously served on the board and that the mayor presented her as the single applicant for the vacancy.

During miscellaneous discussion, committee chair reported recent meetings with OHM advisers and the building commissioner and said an updated draft of the development code will be circulated to the steering committee and internally when available.

Why it matters

The demolition contract will allow the city to proceed with its 2025 residential demolition program if adopted by ordinance. The design review board appointment fills a board vacancy and restores a member with prior service on that panel. The planned development code update creates near‑term work for planning staff and the steering committee.

What happens next

Both the contract authorization and the McCune appointment were advanced in committee; the contract authorization is now referred to finance for review and will return to council for final action. The mayor’s office will supply contract documents to finance for inclusion on a future council agenda.