Developer pitches steakhouse and pocket park for Homewood’s old police headquarters; councilors press parking concerns

Mike Veron, a local developer, told a Homewood City committee on Feb. 17 that he and a team of designers and operators propose buying part of the city’s vacant former police headquarters to build a white-tablecloth steakhouse and to convert the remainder of the parcel into a pocket public park that the city would retain.

The proposal would leave the city owning the park while the developer would pay the highest per‑square‑foot price in the area for exclusive use of the portion needed for the restaurant. Veron said the purchase funds would first cover demolition, asbestos abatement and removal of underground tanks and then pay to install the public park; he said the city would not put up any money or provide tax or sales‑tax incentives.

Why it matters: The site has been vacant for years and residents have previously asked the city for green space there; the developer’s pitch combines commercial use that could generate sales and liquor taxes with a public open space. Officials and neighbors pressed the team for details on traffic, valet and employee parking, and for how the project would be phased and rezoned if the council chose to pursue it further.

Veron said the steakhouse operation would be run by the Nick Piaxis group and that he and his team would shoulder any shortfall in park construction costs. "The city would not be out any money," Veron told the committee. He also said the intent is to create "a pocket public park" with benches, lighting and large trees and to place the restaurant at the southwest corner of the parcel so most of the site could be landscape public space.

Landscape architect Chuck Kelly described design elements for the park — large trees, meandering sidewalks, scored concrete and uplighting — and said the team planned accessible entries and outward-facing glass on the restaurant to activate the park edge. Kelly said the firm would aim for an ADA‑accessible approach with minimal steps and a building elevation that ties into the tree canopy.

Committee members and nearby business owners focused much of the discussion on parking. A downtown merchant said Homewood already struggles with daytime parking and warned that nearby merchants could be hurt if employees and customers cannot find spaces. Veron and his team said they had not yet finalized arrangements but hoped to negotiate use of underutilized hotel parking decks nearby for evening service and to rely on valet operations.

Council members stressed that many issues remain: rezoning for the restaurant portion, access and easement agreements, signage over the public park, and a timeline. The developer asked the committee to "commit to a good faith effort" to continue discussions; the committee accepted the presentation and carried the item over for further work with city staff.

Next steps: Committee members said they will continue discussions with Veron and staff to refine a purchase and development approach, gather needed documents, and to resolve parking and access issues before any binding agreement or council action.