Neighbors back two Homewood alley‑vacation petitions; council to vote July 13

Two public hearings on June 22 drew broad neighborhood support for petitions to vacate small city right‑of‑way segments in Homewood, but the council did not act and scheduled votes for its July 13 meeting.

At the first hearing, building official Wyatt Pugh described a request to vacate a portion of an unnamed alley adjacent to 200 Virginia Drive and said the state‑law valuation for that parcel calculated to $22,093.93. Applicant David Page told the council his family’s triangular nonconforming lot abuts the alley, that the parcel has been maintained as part of their yard, and that a city‑installed storm drain bisects the alley and makes it non‑traversable.

“Prior to the purchase of our home, it was built all the way up into the property line…we’re humbly asking y’all’s consideration to have Homewood vacate a portion of the alley,” Page said. Neighbors at the hearing — including Scott Frederick (described in the record as a real‑estate attorney), Phil Amthor, Susan Sutton, Brandon Bass, Mary Hinton Yelverton and Carolyn Dunkel — spoke in support and said utility access would be preserved.

Councilors questioned whether the lot would need to be re‑surveyed and whether improvements would be grandfathered; Wyatt Pugh said a re‑survey would be required to incorporate the vacated segment into the lot and that any improvements would still be subject to current zoning and building review.

The second hearing concerned a petition to vacate a 20‑ft alley between 115 and 117 Morris Boulevard. Mr. Pugh said the parcel is an unmaintained alley that has long been used as a driveway and that the statutory valuation calculation totaled about $17,703.19 for the full parcel. Attorney Tripp Galloway, representing petitioners including David Platt, told the council utility letters approving the vacation had been obtained, that co‑petitioners would acquire 10 feet of the right‑of‑way each, and that the petitioners plan to re‑survey and consolidate lots after the transfer.

No one spoke in opposition to either petition at the hearings. Both items were closed for public comment and placed on the council’s July 13 agenda for formal consideration and vote.

Procedurally, the council will receive staff reports and may consider conditions or survey requirements when it takes action on July 13.