Category: Birmingham City Council
Woodfin’s Budget Proposal Would Increase Police Funding, Fund City Pay Raises, Neighborhood Revitalization and Other Services
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin presented his “whopping” FY 2023 budget proposal to the City Council on Tuesday, describing it as a reflection of “an unprecedented time of investment and growth” for the city.
The $517 million budget is up roughly $61.5 million from last year’s budget, which at the time was the city’s largest-ever. Most of that money, Woodfin said, came from increases in business tax revenues — particularly business license revenue, which are projected to rise $23 million compared to last year. As a result, Woodfin said, “appropriations are up across the board.”
Roughly two-thirds of the budget would go toward personnel costs — a priority for Woodfin’s administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neighborhood revitalization, another of the mayor’s key issues, is also a focus, with $2 million earmarked for blight removal, $1.5 million for weed abatement and $15 million for street resurfacing.
The biggest increase in revenue would go to the Birmingham Police Department, which would receive $118.5 million — up $18 million from last year. Read more.
Birmingham Sets Out Rules to Promote Historical Building Redevelopment
Birmingham has changed its zoning ordinance to encourage the reuse of historical structures throughout the city.
The changes, which were approved Tuesday by the City Council, will provide “incentives and exceptions that are intended to foster the reuse of historical properties and further the goal of maintaining historical character within the city,” said Chief Planner Tim Gambrel.
This will promote the conversion of “older, economically distressed, historically significant buildings” into apartments, live-work units or mixed-use developments while excepting them from zoning requirements that would require significant structural changes. Read more.
Birmingham Council OK’s New Five Points South Restaurant Despite Councilors’ Fears
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve a liquor license for a new Five Points South restaurant, Social, despite concerns from neighborhood residents and some councilors that the owners intend for the business to be a nightclub, instead.
Social will occupy the space previously held by Skky Lounge, a nightclub shut down by the council in 2017 after multiple shootings. The restaurant will be operated by Jeremy Williams, whose J Wings restaurant has six locations in the city, including at the Birmingham CrossPlex and the Pizitz Food Hall. Williams told councilors that the restaurant would serve “high-end” fare such as lamb chops, steak and lobster pasta, and he said he had built a “state-of-the-art kitchen” in the building’s lower level.
But several neighborhood residents expressed skepticism over the proposal and fear that Social would quickly become another Skky. Read more.
Water Board Asks to Oversee Housing Construction Near the Cahaba, Despite Its Fight for the Ability to Lighten Water Protection Rules
The Birmingham Water Works Board has asked the city to require developers of a property near the Cahaba River watershed to submit to board approval before beginning construction.
Arlington Properties plans to build a multi-family housing development at 4641 U.S. 280, a property that is directly adjacent to BWWB-owned Cahaba watershed lands. The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved rezoning the property from an agricultural district to a general commercial district. The BWWB is asking to have a say in the development’s permitting process.
“If this development is being considered for approval, we would request that the city require the developers to comply with Birmingham Water Works’ watershed protection policy and to submit the proposed plans and associated documentation to the BWWB prior to such approval,” April Nabors, the BWWB’s environmental engineer, told the council. “We just want to be part of the approval process.”
District 2 Councilor Hunter Williams expressed some skepticism about this request, in light of the board’s recent attempt to have conservation restrictions on its own watershed properties loosened. Read more.
Birmingham Council OK’s Plan to Bring Grocery Store to Five Points West
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve an incentives package for a new Food Giant supermarket in the city’s Five Points West area.
The store will be located at 2257 Bessemer Road, the former location of a Winn-Dixie store that shut down in 2018 after the chain filed for bankruptcy. In 2020, former NFL player Karlos Dansby announced plans to open a new grocery store in that location, but those plans fizzled ignominiously.
Food Giant, owned by the Albertville-based Mitchell Grocery Corp., will receive $640,000 from the city for property improvement, in particular to divide the existing 50,000-square-foot building into two units; the Food Giant will take up only an estimated 22,000 square feet. Read more.
Birmingham Asks Public to Consider Proposed New Council and BOE District Lines
The Birmingham City Council is considering the approval of new City Council and Board of Education district lines, redrawn to take into account population shifts shown by the 2020 census.
City law mandates that districts be redrawn after each census to make sure that Birmingham’s population is evenly distributed among them. Each district elects a member of the City Council and the school board. The proposed changes would be in effect for the next two municipal elections, in 2025 and 2029.
The council held a public hearing March 29 to hear residents’ thoughts on the new district maps, and tweaks could be made based on those comments.
The proposal would shift territory out of relatively overpopulated districts — Districts 1 and 2, for example — and into underpopulated districts — Districts 4, 6, 8 and 9. Read more and see the full proposal.
Birmingham Mayor Promises Raise for Police in Next Budget
Mayor Randall Woodfin has promised Birmingham police officers a raise in the city’s next fiscal year.
“Officers are feeling a considerable amount of pressure over not being appreciated,” Woodfin said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, which was attended by several “concerned” off-duty police officers.
Woodfin mentioned stressors on the police department, including smaller recruitment classes and growing retirement rates, as well as the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s not just our police,” he said. “Our fire department, public works and general service employees all feel the pinch. (But) what’s unique about these men and women that you see (here) is that they were not afforded the opportunity to take off over the last two years. They were not afforded some other things other employees received because they’re on the front line of public safety. As an administration, I know this council (agrees). We as an administration agree, they deserve a raise. They’re going to get a raise.” Read more.
Birmingham Council OKs Minority-Led Housing, Retail and Recreational Development
The Birmingham City Council has approved the sale of 222 acres near Lakeshore Parkway to Green Meadow Apartments LLC, which will redevelop the property into single-family, multi-family and senior housing.
The city will receive $1.5 million for the property, which is located at 1911 Tiger Walk. General contractor Michael German, the former Alabama field office director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has represented Green Meadow Apartments at council meetings. He told councilors that the proposed development will include a park, walking trail and a town center — including a grocery store and a community center — and compared the development to the nearby Ross Bridge community.
Green Meadow is a minority developer, and Cornell Wesley, the city’s director of innovation and economic opportunity, described its project as potentially transformational for the city.
“We are looking at what I believe to be the largest economic impact led by African Americans in our storied history as a city, that being over $100 million worth of economic impact and investment in our area,” Wesley said. Read more.
Birmingham Council Shuts Down Mahogany Bar Despite Some Community Support
The Mahogany Social Bar and Lounge will remain permanently closed after a vote by the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday.
Owner Montego Temple had moved the club to its 1709 Third St. W location after its previous location across the street burned down. Though Temple told councilors he believed he had secured a transfer of his liquor license and dance permit to the new location, he was arrested in December for operating without a proper license.
But complaints from the Birmingham Police Department that the club was a threat to public safety ultimately stymied his efforts to legally reopen Mahogany. Police pointed to 10 calls for service to the club in the past six months — ranging from gunshots to car break-ins — as well as an inspection by Detective Victor Langford that showed multiple safety issues and culminated with a fistfight in the club. Read more.
Public Hearing on New Birmingham City Council Districts Set for March 29
The Birmingham City Council has set a March 29 public hearing to discuss proposed changes to the city’s council districts based on 2020 census data.
Last month, the council hired Crimcard Consulting Services to lead the redistricting process, which is required each decade by city law. After several individual meetings with councilors, Crimcard presented proposed districts to the council Feb. 14.
A digital map of the proposed changes has not yet been made available; that information will be shared on the city’s website this week, officials said, but video of the presentation is available on the council’s Facebook page.
The redistricting process has already proven controversial, with District 3 Councilor Valerie Abbott expressing dismay that part of the Five Points South neighborhood would be reassigned to District 6, currently represented by Council President Pro Tem Crystal Smitherman. Read more.
