Council schedules public hearing on rezoning for proposed Montgomery Street fitness center

Homewood City Council on April 13 set preliminary consideration of a rezoning request for two Montgomery Street parcels after a planning commission presentation and discussion about parking and site‑plan conditions.

Staff said the applicant seeks to rezone 2773 and 2777B Montgomery Street from C‑2 (Neighborhood Shopping District) to C‑4 (Central Business District) to allow renovation and reuse of existing buildings for a health/fitness center. The planning representative described conditions offered by the applicant (site plan and use restrictions) and noted some potentially noxious uses would be stricken from permitted uses in this case, including drive‑throughs, auto repair and vape/smoke shops.

Commission and council discussion centered on parking and landscaping: staff said the applicant’s site plan currently exceeds parking requirements but may request to substitute additional parking for landscaping; councilors asked whether the city should standardize restrictions across the downtown stretch or treat this as a case‑by‑case rezoning. A planning representative said rezoning decisions commonly include a site‑plan condition that binds the development to the materials and layout presented to the commission.

Next step: Council will set a public hearing and take the item to the council docket in two weeks for formal consideration; staff said there were no substantive community objections noted at the planning commission review.