Developers and planners pitch large Homewood Hills redevelopment; commission presses for phasing, lease and waiver details
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
A planned development at 2415 Jefferson Road would replace much of Homewood Hills Shopping Center with two apartment buildings (reported in the packet as about 233 units and 382 beds), townhomes and a 29,000 sq. ft. amphitheater. Planning staff cited sewer and waiver concerns; Planning Commission recommended approval with three conditions.
Planning staff presented a plan‑development application for 2415 Jefferson Road that would redevelop the Homewood Hills Shopping Center into mixed use, retaining about 92,000 square feet of commercial space while adding two residential buildings, a small for‑sale townhome component and an approximately 29,000‑square‑foot public amphitheater and plaza.
Planning Director Bruce (Director Mulaney) told the commission staff identified six waivers requested by the applicant and that staff could not recommend all waivers because they did not demonstrate expected hardship; the Planning Commission recommended approval with three conditions, including making conserved tree canopy binding, requiring 75% of the larger south building’s frontage along the new drive to be leasable or amenity space rather than residential, and requiring ground‑floor units facing the new axial drive to have direct street entries.
Jack Murphy, chief investment officer at Carter (the applicant), said the team revised the plan after multiple neighborhood meetings, a traffic study that projected less than two seconds of added peak travel time, and support from more than 40 signed petitions. “We...produced a site plan that despite a lot of the constraints on the site, achieved the following, replacement of outdated retail with high quality apartments, improved walkability, safety, and connectivity,” Murphy said.
Commissioners pressed the applicant and staff for details on phasing, parking and long‑term leases on existing commercial tenants; staff and the applicant said some leases run through 2030–2037 and that phasing would concentrate initial redevelopment along the Homewood Drive frontage with future phases addressing leased buildings as leases expire.
Director Mulaney cautioned that sanitary sewer capacity required on‑site storage for wet‑weather flow in order for the design to function. The commission did not take a final zoning vote at the agenda‑setting meeting; staff and the applicant will return with any requested clarifications and final ordinance language when the item appears on the voting agenda.