Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Valvoline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homewood council approves Valvoline site plan after questions about dumpster location, landscaping and doors
Summary
The council approved a final development plan for a Valvoline instant oil change at Green Springs Shopping Center after engineers and a Valvoline representative addressed concerns about vehicle queuing, dumpster access, landscaping density and whether service doors would remain open.
The Homewood City Council on Dec. 8 approved the final development plan for a Valvoline instant oil change facility at the Green Springs Shopping Center, following a presentation by the project's engineer and a Valvoline representative and a series of council questions.
Jared Small, identified in the meeting as the engineer of record for HFAAE, told councilors that rotating the building to change garage orientation would create circulation problems and unsafe vehicle queuing, require a roadway around the dumpster and reduce space for required landscaping because of an existing 66‑inch storm drain. He described design adjustments already made — a darker door color, added understory trees (flowering dogwoods) and denser shrubs — and said he would continue working with city staff on final plantings and renderings.
Councilor Lane and others asked specifically about the dumpster placement and the speed at which hedges and shrubs would fill in to screen the service doors. Small said he had provided renderings showing denser planting and that he could explore larger trees, but noted larger trees may take longer to establish. The engineer agreed to provide final landscape details for staff review.
A Valvoline representative addressed neighborhood noise concerns directly: "We are very quiet. We're not like a garage. We don't do any mechanical work whatsoever," adding that, if necessary, the business can keep doors closed during operations but typically leaves them open in warmer months to move cars through. The representative estimated typical service times and volumes as part of the explanation.
Council accepted the additional landscaping proffer offered during the meeting and then moved to approve the item. The motion passed unanimously; the item was recorded as ordinance No. 2963.
Next steps: staff will confirm the final landscaping plan and plant list provided by the developer and record the proffer as part of the file for the Valvoline project.
