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Developers present 9‑story mixed‑use plan for 34952 Woodward; designers say project is about 72 parking spaces short
Summary
Developers proposed a nine‑story mixed‑use building at 34952 Woodward with roughly 197 apartments, 27 condominiums and ground‑floor retail. Designers said the current plan provides 444 parking spaces, about 72 fewer than the 516 spaces the zoning math would require if bonus floors are included; presenters said a shared‑parking study will show adequacy.
Developers presented a pre‑application for a nine‑story mixed‑use building at 34952 Woodward during the Birmingham City Planning Board meeting on Dec. 10, 2025. The proposal shows two levels of underground parking, a tall retail podium, seven floors of apartments and two condominium floors for sale.
The project team said the building would include about 197 apartments and 27 condominiums, with separate lobbies and elevator cores for the different uses. "We're providing 444 spaces right now," said Victor Ciroki of Suroke Architecture during the presentation, noting that the current layout leaves a shortfall relative to the city's ordinance when bonus floors are counted.
City zoning math as discussed at the meeting would require roughly 516 spaces if the developer seeks the two bonus floors in the MU‑7 area (approximately 260 spaces for residential uses, 55 for retail, and 201 public spaces tied to bonus‑floor qualification). The project team said the 444 proposed spaces leave about a 72‑space gap. The developer told the board it has retained Rich and Associates as a parking consultant and Stonefield Engineering to perform a traffic and shared‑parking analysis, which the team plans to present with the CIS and preliminary site plan.
Developers argued the mixed‑use timing of demand allows shared‑parking to reduce peak overlap: residential demand peaks overnight while retail peaks during the day. The team said the proposed design also preserves 201 dedicated public spaces intended to meet the ordinance threshold for bonus floors. "We will always maintain the 201 public spaces," the presenter said.
Board members praised the project's massing, streetscape improvements and smaller apartment footprints but repeatedly pressed the team on parking adequacy, left‑turn access onto westbound Maple, MDOT right‑of‑way constraints on Woodward and potential conflicts with bus stops that were recently relocated. One member asked staff and the traffic consultant to examine left‑turn egress and safety where the project would interface with an existing slip lane.
Members also asked staff to check the site's environmental history; one board member recalled prior hazardous‑materials work on the property and requested the CIS include investigation of whether a Phase II assessment is advisable. The developer acknowledged the possibility the building code could treat the mezzanine parking level as a full floor; if that classification stands, a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals may be required even though the building would remain within the visible height limit.
Presenters said design details include tall retail storefronts on Woodward and Maple, an interior landscaped courtyard, a two‑story amenity space and a rooftop pool. They said they may pursue an economic‑development liquor license at a later stage if a restaurant tenant materializes; that decision would go to the City Commission.
Next steps: the developer will submit the CIS and preliminary site plan and the traffic/shared‑parking analysis to the planning staff for review. The board did not take formal action on the pre‑application; members asked the developers to return with the technical studies and any revisions to the parking layout.
