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Birmingham officials outline zoning-ordinance rewrite, RFP expected in July
Summary
Planning staff said the city commission granted $200,000 for a zoning ordinance rewrite; an RFP is expected in July, proposals likely in August–September and work could start in early 2026. Commissioners pressed staff on whether the rewrite is mainly reformatting or would lead to rezoning.
Planning Director Mr. Dupuy told a joint meeting of the Birmingham City Commission and the Planning Board on June 16 that the city has set aside $200,000 to begin a comprehensive update of the city’s zoning ordinance and expects to issue a request for proposals in July.
"The city commission was kind enough to grant us $200,000 for this work," Mr. Dupuy said, adding that staff hopes to issue the RFP in July, receive proposals in August or September and "probably expect to start work on this project in early 2026." He described the rewrite as a legal, regulatory document intended to align zoning with the 2040 Comprehensive Master Plan and to be more intuitive, graphic-rich and hyperlinked for ease of use.
The project will include a substantive public-engagement program similar to the master-plan process, Mr. Dupuy said, and the planning board will have a major role drafting and endorsing the RFP before it goes out for consultants.
Commissioners pressed staff on the scope of the effort. "I would like to know upfront whether 90% of this project is reforming formatting and 10% is rezoning or the other way around," Commissioner Ballard said, urging clarity because the degree of change would affect outreach and public reaction. Commissioner Hague warned of legal sensitivity if district classifications change, noting the risk of creating nonconforming properties and appeals.
Mr. Dupuy and planning-board members said the land-use map in the 2040 plan must be followed while other plan recommendations remain discretionary. Several commissioners asked whether residential zoning and parking would be included; staff answered that the rewrite covers all zoning but that a deep, standalone parking study would likely be a separate project because of cost and complexity.
Commissioner Emery and others praised the planning staff and board for their experience and emphasized user-friendly reformatting to reduce confusion and staff calls. "The Birmingham zoning ordinance is hard to get through," Emery said, urging more accessible formatting.
Next steps: staff will draft an RFP for commission and planning-board review, with the planning board expected to help shape public engagement goals. No formal vote on the RFP or consultant selection was taken at this meeting.
