[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6300627,"mediaKeyId","2492847-1560a1a82cd29efe22d91b688dc9b7e8","parentId",2492847,"title","Homewood Planning Commission recommends against rezoning 8 Bonita Drive for pediatric clinic","audioSeconds",3196,"startMs",365000,"endMs",3561000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2492847-1560a1a82cd29efe22d91b688dc9b7e8&start=365&end=3561","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2492847-1560a1a82cd29efe22d91b688dc9b7e8/thumbnail_365000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6300627/Homewood-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Homewood-Planning-Commission-recommends-against-rezoning-8-Bonita-Drive-for-pediatric-clinic","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6300627-23675fd24c07d61d4394dc2d9d9bfcbd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155879&Signature=dRNE3rNmx4yiJKo12rNSmT5aInEtm6JlNpy289KcmH9y9sTBYQoXQ3Ypw9aHFVKOzrqggwGlSxNlXlvU62~Ai5kKEPFXaxgaTNE1itGrP4bD5mmBpkCjyl4Xv5iQTF8gVxsSsL0CpZSbtoCjCrNWfcLRdWVeS4nfyYjqnb6~~1tTXBeFNjQa--6SljSYV8YOfLYPsN2-Frrk4xROr27zWJs2lbkXI6INjR815m535tWHhBom1cVbrFKkkM0f5rGSPq~yIHyiiRPSpVBYp0085zFeJ6RnUIFHRIr5u6VBEeXqJgvq~~7OJ5rJ~7MuYCDX90eOYbCF5Vd5U0uU70vRJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Homewood, AL","date","2025-03-03T23:47:28Z","article","The Homewood Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to send a negative recommendation to the City Council on a rezoning request for 8 Bonita Drive, a property the applicants say they plan to use for an expanded Alabama Pediatrics clinic.

The motion to approve the rezoning (case RZ25‑03‑01) failed in commission action after public comment. Commissioners Gulas, Andress, Respiento, Wilcott and Roberts voted “no,” and Commissioner Henninger recorded an abstention; the commission’s negative referral moves the matter to the City Council for final consideration.

The proposal would change the property’s land‑use designation from NPD (neighborhood planned district) to C2 (general commercial). Jared Bussey, the project architect, said the owners, Dr. Keith and Laura Stansell of Alabama Pediatrics, are Homewood residents who want a new building that better fits evolving medical‑office needs and argued the C2 zoning would create a buffer between U.S. Highway 31 and nearby houses.

“From a site strategy I think it does a good job of creating frontage along 31,” Bussey said, noting the plan includes a landscape buffer and that “there would be no variances required for what we’ve designed if the rezoning is granted.” Dr. Keith Stansell said the practice has expanded services and needs more space for things such as lactation and nutrition counseling but that the applicants do not intend to create a “mega pediatric complex.”

Neighbors who spoke during the public hearing urged the commission to preserve the NPD designation and to reject the rezoning. Josh Carpenter, who lives at 10 Bonita Drive adjacent to the site, said 48 households signed a letter opposing the change and raised concerns about increased traffic on 1920s‑era narrow streets and potential impacts on property values.

“We are pro‑development when it’s a good fit for the neighborhood and when the neighborhood is bought in,” Carpenter said. Other neighbors pressed the commission on parking, stormwater runoff and the scale of the proposed building. Resident Debbie Brazil said the submitted plan shows roughly 7,160 square feet of building area and about 24 parking spaces (including two handicapped stalls), and she and others argued the parking would be insufficient for peak periods and could push cars into surrounding streets.

The commission’s role is advisory; the City Council will make the final zoning decision. Chairman Goodwin and staff noted the commission was making only a recommendation and that final approvals and any required development plan would be decided by the council.

The commission record shows a motion to approve the rezoning was made and seconded during the meeting; the official vote tally was 0 yes, 5 no, 1 abstain. The commission’s negative recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for a public hearing and a final vote.

Opponents asked the council and planning staff to consider traffic impact analyses, parking studies and closer review of consistency with the city master plan, which they said designates the parcel for residential use. Supporters, including the applicants, said they are willing to work with the city and the neighborhood on site design and mitigation measures if rezoning is approved. The City Council will receive the commission’s recommendation as part of the formal rezoning process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Homewood Planning Commission Meeting - March 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Homewood Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to send a negative recommendation to the City Council on a rezoning request for 8 Bonita Drive, a property the applicants say they plan to use for an expanded Alabama Pediatrics clinic.","taxTitle","Homewood City, Jefferson County, Alabama","taxId",65544,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6300622,"Samford, Landmark present Creekside master plan; commission and neighbors ask for more public engagement and engineering detail",3195,3645000,6840000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2492847-1560a1a82cd29efe22d91b688dc9b7e8&start=3645&end=6840","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2492847-1560a1a82cd29efe22d91b688dc9b7e8/thumbnail_3645000.jpg","/articles/6300622/Homewood-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Samford-Landmark-present-Creekside-master-plan-commission-and-neighbors-ask-for-more-public-engagement-and-engineering-detail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6300622-dccbad589889f3d78eeb4b23e8920f62/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155879&Signature=E93wf72e2aicLPVKgejm7Sn~yk8gtixsOKulUEMPwREp1vLCGrRdisj6QCNWapDopFdWy6Oyh7ol8heUhIYDVTLRLE-w3j4XrAHGdlEj~bzv8AG5RIBusJi8NVsz3DfQv4qRndnYwLBq2spn8LoutHebqb5I5VoSZ4f-fBLZUazeCPM70gHaxccv4-6utkrXHyCtVMDx6EOiD1~PfBFB4qJY7n0MP1E7qK-5WGJitdQLReGEfZcS6YC3QatrTmnUvWtkMQ3G~vqYzlRJvmwb44JT1QN4rbXPMjz~Z5CA9CLAci7fuy3DRywc12fM7qMaO1PED6rjl-Bw-5eupk2T0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Landmark Development and Samford University presented a multi‑phase Creekside District proposal to the Homewood Planning Commission that would rezone portions of the campus area and authorize a development plan for mixed‑use and institutional uses in the Creekside West and East districts.

Robert Dunn of Landmark Development described the application as the next stage of Samford’s long‑running master plan, a multi‑phase program of roughly “a little over 800,000 square feet” of mixed development that would emphasize pedestrian connections, a proposed pedestrian bridge across Lakeshore Drive, stormwater and watershed stewardship, and “Sanford‑affiliated” residential housing. Dunn said the project team has completed a traffic impact analysis and will continue engineering work and multi‑party community engagement.

The presentation prompted a lengthy public hearing with dozens of residents and advocacy groups speaking. Comments covered concerns about building height and scale, traffic congestion on Lakeshore Drive and surrounding streets, lighting and amplified sound, the impact on Homewood High School circulation and parking, and potential effects on Shades Creek and its vernal pools that support migrating salamanders.

Speakers included Michelle Blackwood of Friends of Shades Creek, who explained the biological importance of vernal pools and salamander migration and said some salamander breeding pools are on the land identified as Creekside East. Several neighbors urged the commission and the applicants to protect the vernal pools and the old‑growth forest and to avoid filling floodplain or floodway areas where the developer has suggested relocating athletic fields.

Other speakers, including longtime residents and former city officials, asked for more time for community engagement, questioned the adequacy of the notice for meetings and suggested the developer coordinate with the Homewood City Schools on impacts to student traffic and facilities. Some residents supported the project as a constructive way to add amenities, tax base and housing options.

After the public comments, Robert Dunn and representatives from Samford (including Colin Coyne) said they were committed to extended engagement and technical work on traffic mitigations, watershed stewardship and design refinement. Dunn told the commission the rezoning and development plan together provide a necessary “framework” to begin detailed engineering and community problem‑solving.

Given the volume of community comment and several commissioners’ requests for more time and answers to specific questions (for example, from the school system), the applicant asked for a continuance. The commission agreed to continue the Creekside rezoning and development plan cases to its next scheduled meeting (the chair announced a continuation to the commission’s April meeting), and the public hearing was closed for the moment.

The continuation gives the applicant time to provide additional study results, clarify building heights and unit counts, address stormwater and floodplain questions, and coordinate further with the Homewood City Schools and neighborhood groups before the commission issues a recommendation to City Council.","Landmark Development and Samford University presented a multi‑phase Creekside District plan including mixed‑use West and institutional East components. The developer requested the cases be carried over to the commission’s next meeting after extended public comment about traffic, watershed protection, salamander habitat and school impacts.","actionData","errors"]

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Homewood Planning Commission recommends against rezoning 8 Bonita Drive for pediatric clinic

Samford, Landmark present Creekside master plan; commission and neighbors ask for more public engagement and engineering detail