Montgomery City Planning Commission reviews multiple development plans, approves three final plats

The Montgomery City Planning Commission at its March meeting heard public hearings on multiple development plans and granted final approval to three plats: Macklemore Spur Plat No. 2, Perimeter Park Plat No. 10 and Sturbridge Plat No. 28.

The actions matter because the approvals clear specific parcels for development work ranging from residential subdivision lots to industrial park parcels that county and city development staff say are part of ongoing growth in the city’s industrial and commercial corridors.

Commissioners opened the meeting with a review of hearing and voting procedures, including that plats, rezoning, revised master plans and street renamings require a public hearing, and that motions require a simple majority of members present to pass. Planning staff present were Warren Adams, Jovan Hines, Robert Smith and Carol Ann Pinkston.

On Item 2, Kenneth White of Flowers and White Engineering, representing T Square LLC, said, “This simply is the final plat. This is the last plat for the entire property for this development.” A nearby resident raised questions about an easement and trees; White replied the developer would not connect to the adjacent dead-end street and that the development would not touch the easement. After public comment the commission took a motion to approve the plat; the chair called “all those in favor,” and the motion passed.

The commission also reviewed multiple commercial and industrial development plans during the public-hearing portions of the agenda. Presenters included Matt Durie of Recon Builders, who said, “We’re putting up a storage building next to our office for a storage of building materials and tools,” and Wells Holiday of Southern Brew Corp., who described a drive-through-only 7 Brew coffee stand: “We are proposing a new 7 brew drive-through coffee stand…We’ll have 2 drive through lanes with 1 bypass lane.” Garrett Small, an engineer with HFA Architects and Engineers representing Valvoline, described demolition of an existing bank and changes expected to reduce impervious surface, saying the project would reduce impervious coverage “from about 0.9 … to 0.4 to 5.”

Two data-center projects were presented in detail. Jared Monk of Thomas and Hutton Engineering described a parcel inside the Interstate Industrial Park as “a 5 megawatt data center.” Dylan Ross, identifying himself with Oppenheimer Investment Company for CLOP Montgomery LLC, said his project would be “a 61,000 square foot data center, with roughly 14 megawatts of total diversified load,” and noted the project sought a special exemption before the board of adjustment for an Alabama Power substation to serve the site.

Final-plat approvals recorded during the meeting included Perimeter Park Plat No. 10, presented by Judy Jones of Goodwin Mills and Caywood and tied to the nearby data-center parcel, and Sturbridge Plat No. 28, a 23-lot addition to the Sturbridge subdivision presented by representatives of Louder New Homes. For each of those items a motion to approve was moved and seconded on the record and the chair called the question; each motion passed by affirmative vote of the members present.

The meeting concluded with a recognition: planning commission member Buddy Hardwick received a certificate from Mayor Steven L. Reed marking 16 years of service on the commission. Hardwick said he was stepping down partly for health reasons and that “it was time to move on.” The commission adjourned afterward.

Votes at a glance

• Approval of minutes from the Jan. 23, 2025 meeting — Motion to approve; seconded; approved by affirmative vote of members present (yes: 6). (Mover/second not specified on the record.)

• Macklemore Spur, Final Plat (Macklemore Spur Plat No. 2; Item 2) — Motion to approve; seconded; approved by affirmative vote of members present (yes: 6). (Applicant representative: Kenneth White, Flowers and White Engineering; construction expected to commence in about a month.)

• Perimeter Park Plat No. 10 (final approval; Item 10) — Motion to approve; seconded; approved by affirmative vote of members present (yes: 6). (Presented by Judy Jones, Goodwin Mills and Caywood; related to a nearby data-center parcel.)

• Sturbridge Plat No. 28 (final approval) — Motion to approve; seconded; approved by affirmative vote of members present (yes: 6). (Presented by representatives of Louder New Homes; 23 lots, 75-foot lots.)

Items heard with public hearings (no final vote recorded on the transcript)

• Recon Builders: development plan for a storage building at 6001 Troy Highway in a B-3 commercial zoning district (presenter: Matt Durie).

• Alabama Vascular Specialist: development plan for a new building on Woodmere Boulevard in an O-1 office zoning district (presenter: Taylor Manning, Pilgrim and Bostick Engineers).

• Guthrie’s restaurant: development plan at 5471 Atlanta Highway in M-1 light industrial zoning (presenter: John Lautra; owner: Cressley Holdings).

• 7 Brew drive-through: development plan for a drive-through-only coffee stand in AMC Festival Plaza (presenter: Wells Holiday, Southern Brew Corp.; construction timeline ~3 months).

• Valvoline / Sun Oil Change: development plan at 1465 Eastern Boulevard in B-3 commercial zoning (presenter: Garrett Small, HFA Architects and Engineers).

• DCB Montgomery LLC: proposed development on Bill Joseph Parkway/Wazden Road (presenter: Jared Monk, Thomas and Hutton); described as a 5-megawatt data center on a 27-acre parcel in the Interstate Industrial Park.

• CLOP Montgomery LLC: proposed 61,000-square-foot data center on Perimeter Parkway (presenter: Dylan Ross; stated diversified load ~14 megawatts; applicant said it recently sought a related special exemption before the Board of Adjustment for a substation).

What’s next

Items that received final plat approval move to the administrative steps required for recording and permitting; applicants and staff indicated construction timelines or next steps during their presentations. Other projects heard at the public-hearing stage will return to the commission or move to staff review as required by the city’s development process.