Montgomery Housing Authority parking plan for Parks Place triggers Section 106 review, HPC to be consulting party

The Montgomery Housing Authority told the Historic Preservation Commission that it plans to convert roughly 0.3 acre of vacant perimeter lots at the Cleveland Court — now called Parks Place — housing complex into parking for residents and guests, a project that produced a cultural-resources report identifying adverse effects to nearby historic properties.

The finding triggers the Section 106 consultation process under federal law and prompted the Alabama Historical Commission to ask that the city’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) be included as a consulting party. Commission staff said negotiations are at an early stage and will likely produce a memorandum of agreement (MOA) spelling out mitigation steps and public engagement.

At the meeting, Monica Whiting, acting executive director of the Housing Authority, described the parking need and the project footprint: “We are looking at, transforming some of the empty lots. I think it it's about 0.3 of an acre is what the total amount would be that's on the perimeter, into just parking spaces, for our residents and their guests.” She said the design is not finalized and that the agency is pursuing the work to address chronic parking shortages for residents.

Commission staff reported the cultural-resources survey identified an adverse effect to two historic resources: Parks Place (formerly Cleveland Court Apartments), which staff said is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and an Elks Lodge across the street that the survey determined eligible at the state level. Because federal funds are involved, staff said the Section 106 process requires negotiation of mitigation measures and public engagement. “The Alabama Historical Commission asked the housing authority to include the HPC as a consulting party,” staff said during the item.

Commissioners asked for more detail on design and effects. Staff and Housing Authority representatives said the current materials appended to the agenda include maps and the cultural-resources report; the agency expects to show drawings or photographs at a public meeting that staff aims to schedule before the HPC’s April meeting. Staff also said some mitigation options discussed so far could include state-level documentation for the Elks Lodge and potentially an updated nomination or documentation for Parks Place.

Housing Authority representatives said parking demand has grown since the complex was built and that the agency owns Parks Place. On possible scale, a consultant’s draft cited approximately 50 additional spaces as an estimate but the design and final space count remain subject to revision, the presenters said. The agency told commissioners it intends to advertise a public engagement session and hopes to present public-materials and further details at the commission’s April meeting.

Staff said the city — not the Housing Authority alone — will likely be a signatory on the MOA because the housing authority is an arm of the city for this project. No formal action or vote was taken by the commission at the meeting; staff said they will continue negotiations and return when a draft MOA and public-engagement materials are ready.

Commissioners and staff asked the Housing Authority to provide clearer drawings, a specific count of the proposed additional parking spaces, and a public-notice plan before the next substantive presentation. The commission directed staff to place the item on the agenda again when materials for public review are available.

The commission’s next meeting is expected to include a public-engagement step in the Section 106 process; a date for the public meeting was not set at the time of the item.