Alabama Power Co. is proposing to demolish its vacant Powell Avenue substation and construct a brick wall around the lot.
Birmingham’s Design Review Committee delayed consideration of the request to demolish the substation until its Nov. 18 meeting. Alabama Power’s James Douglas presented the plan to the committee, saying it also would combine the site with an adjacent lot to make way for a new substation.
Douglas, environmental specialist with the utility, cited issues with vagrancy at the current station.
“This building has been vacant for a number of years,” Douglas told the committee. “We have been having ongoing public safety concerns.
“We’ve received complaints just last week from UAB’s Administration Building about ongoing trespassing,” he continued. “We’ve attempted to secure the building on multiple occasions. We’ve had Birmingham police go in there and remove individuals. We’ve bolted doors.’
Committee members raised questions about the design presented for the wall, saying that in a previous work session four or five options had been discussed to make the wall more visually appealing.
“That wall needs to be something that contributes to the pedestrian experience, and there are a number of ways to do it,” said committee member Cheryl Morgan. “The property owned by Alabama Power on Powell Avenue is close to the local operations it will support,” Alabama Power said in a statement. “Once complete, the site will help our teams respond to customer needs across the Birmingham metropolitan area and Jefferson County. We appreciate the community’s support as we complete this work safely and responsibly.”
