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Birmingham BZA grants Daxton Hotel variance to repurpose loading area for laundry and trash compactor with conditions
Summary
The board granted a dimensional variance for 298 South Old Woodward (Daxton Hotel) to modify an approved off-street loading space for a trash compactor and on-site laundry, subject to conditions that the area remain convertible back to a loading function and that the compactor installation follow the approved planning-commission plan.
The Birmingham Board of Zoning Appeals granted a dimensional variance allowing the Daxton Hotel at 298 South Old Woodward to install a trash compactor in its off-street loading area and to convert a former trash room to on-site laundry, subject to conditions tying the change to the planning commission approval and requiring the compactor to be removable so the loading space can be restored if needed.
Planning Director Nick Depuy said the hotel’s original site plan located trash and loading in the southwest corner and that the facility now handles frequent off-site laundry deliveries that load on Old Woodward. He said the proposal removes one usable off-street loading space (the ordinance specifies a minimum usable loading bay of 12 feet by 40 feet by 14 feet) and shifts some deliveries to the lower level and van-size vehicles.
Robert Carmack of Superior Hospitality Group described operational problems: off-site laundry currently requires two to three deliveries daily that stop in the central lane of Old Woodward and create safety and congestion concerns. Carmack said converting the former trash room to on-site laundry and installing a compactor would reduce trash pickups from six to three times weekly and allow daily deliveries to arrive in vans to the lower-level service area.
Board members debated whether the proposal “eliminated” the loading space or “modified” it and repeatedly required a condition that the compactor installation be reversible so the loading bay could be returned to its original purpose. One motion recorded explicitly tied approval to the specific plans presented to the planning commission and required the compactor and compactor rail system to be removable without structural change. The planning board had previously recommended conditional approval.
A roll-call vote was recorded in the meeting transcript with mixed yes and no responses; the motion carried as recorded and the variance was granted with the stated conditions. Members said they were reluctant to set a broad precedent exempting large commercial properties from loading requirements, and several emphasized the approval was narrowly tailored to the Daxton’s operational constraints and the planning commission’s conditions.
What’s next: The hotel will implement the compactor and laundry as approved under the planning commission conditions; the condition requiring removability preserves the ability to restore a usable loading bay for future owners or tenants.
