Hoover planning commission recommends council deny proposal to convert Meadowbrook office into K–12 school

The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission voted Wednesday to send a conditional-use application to the City Council with a recommendation to deny after extended testimony from staff, the applicant and scores of residents.

The application sought approval to convert office space at 2500 Corporate Drive in the Meadowbrook planned-unit development into a K–12 parochial school with an ancillary community center. Planning staff told the commission they could not make a positive recommendation, citing inconsistencies with the city’s comprehensive plan, unclear or shifting project scope and gaps in the traffic analysis (staff remarks). The commission’s vote is advisory; the council will make the final decision.

At the hearing, staff raised several specific concerns. The staff report said earlier traffic-study iterations estimated enrollment at 350 students and a later submittal projected 400, and that staff had not received confidence-inspiring…