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Homewood BZA denies variance for Courtney Drive condo garage entrance after neighbors cite safety concerns
Summary
The board denied a request to shift a condominium parking garage entrance onto Courtney Drive, with neighbors and some members saying the narrow street, sight lines and proximity to an intersection posed safety and circulation problems; the applicant argued alley access was infeasible without redesign.
The Homewood Board of Zoning Adjustments on July 9 denied a variance request from developers seeking to place direct garage access for a proposed 18-unit condominium on Courtney Drive rather than the alley.
Taylor Scholl of Scholl Engineering, representing the developer, described a proposed three-level building with a first-level parking garage for 36 spaces and said site-specific geometry and the alley's proximity to the Huntington/Courtney intersection (about 20 feet) make alley access constrained and potentially unsafe. Scholl said moving the access about 60 feet north on Courtney Drive would improve visibility and functionality.
Neighbors who spoke urged denial. Haley Daniel, who lives opposite the proposed entrance, said Courtney Drive is "extremely narrow" and that vehicles leaving 36 parking spaces would create conflicts with residents reversing from driveways and could force drivers onto neighbors' lawns. She said landscaping maintenance and a traffic-calming device could improve sight lines at the alley and argued the developer earlier told neighbors they could proceed with an alley plan if the variance failed. Brian Larson, another neighbor, echoed concerns about cars exiting between driveways. Bert Cox, whose property abuts the site, said he supported redevelopment but did not believe the entrance would harm traffic.
Developer Steven Heiden and project architect Steven Allen told the board they had reviewed alley access from a civil-engineering perspective but had not completed a full design; they said an alley solution would ripple through the building layout, grading and retaining-wall requirements and stressed they wanted to deliver a safe, functional design. Allen said trash and parking would be concealed under the building and that the fire department had informally indicated life-safety access could be provided from Courtney Drive.
Board members questioned whether fewer units, alternate layouts, or signage and landscaping could mitigate impacts and whether the applicant had fully vetted alley access. After discussion a motion to approve the variance was called; the votes recorded were 'no' and the chair announced the variance had been denied.
