Homewood City schedules July 8 hearing on rezoning request for 2917 Linden Avenue

The Homewood City Planning & Development Committee on July 1 set a public hearing for July 8 at 6 p.m. to consider a rezoning request for 2917 Linden Avenue, moving the parcel from C-1 (Office Building District) to C-4A (Retail Shopping District). The committee voted to forward the item with its recommendation by a 4-0 voice vote.

The committee chair identified the applicant as property owner Ginny Allen and said the rezoning would “facilitate its redevelopment for appropriate retail uses.” Allen told the committee she has owned the duplex-addressed property since 1985 and described its long history of varied uses. “I’ve owned this since 1985,” Allen said, noting the building’s age and interior modifications.

Allen said Full Circle, a local retail operation with a workforce-training mission, is interested in occupying the site permanently, and that nearby businesses and recent zoning changes on adjacent parcels support converting the property to retail. She described the site layout, existing alleys and access to Savage’s parking lot behind the property, and said she is negotiating with a prospective tenant but has not yet provided formal renderings or site plans.

Committee members asked why the request specified C-4A rather than the broader downtown C-4 designation and whether parcel size or nonconforming parcels affect the decision. Allen said she had reviewed parcel sizes and believed rezoning the property to retail would make it consistent with neighboring parcels; the committee did not resolve the precise technical question about every adjacent parcel during the meeting.

Committee discussion also touched on parking and accessibility: a member noted that C-4A zoning does not require off-street parking in some cases, but that any renovation would need to address handicap access and possibly add accessible spaces. The Planning Commission had recommended approval earlier, voting 5-0 in favor of the rezoning.

The committee approved two procedural items by voice vote: dispensing with the reading and approving the April 15 minutes, and forwarding the rezoning item to the public hearing with the committee’s recommendation. The public hearing is scheduled for July 8 at 6 p.m.; no final zoning decision was made at the July 1 meeting.

Votes at a glance: approve minutes (April 15) — motion passed, 4-0; send rezoning recommendation and set public hearing (O 40624 — 2917 Linden Avenue) — motion passed, 4-0.

The committee adjourned at the end of the session; the public hearing will be the next scheduled step on the rezoning request.