By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
LEEDS – At a meeting on Monday, April 17, the Leeds City Council rejected an ordinance discussed at the previous meeting that would modify the R-5, garden home district.
Mayor David Miller (Photo by Nathan Prewett)
At the last meeting, the proposal came from the Planning and Zoning Commission, which would require features of a home to be relocated to the back such as driveways and garbage cans. Commission Chair Eddie Cook said that the ordinance would make homes in the district more aesthetically pleasing.
However, a resident and home building company owner, Curtis White, brought up concerns that the proposed ordinance would drive up the costs of homes for those who are first-time buyers. This was acknowledged at last night’s meeting by Mayor David Miller though he still favored the ordinance.
“The other side of that argument – and I think that it was a very good point – is that we don’t make zoning on the basis of first-time homebuyers,” he said. “My first home was a trailer. Most people, unless they come from money, have been working for quite a while. They have to start at a reasonable level, which in most cases means a mobile home, a rental home or an existing home of a size that they can afford. And that’s normal. That’s the way you build the American dream.”
Councilman Eric Turner made a motion to adopt the ordinance but there was no second, causing it to fail.
Additionally, the council rejected another ordinance, this one being a request from Linda Miller to rezone a building on Lawley Avenue that she owns from R-2, single family to T-3, form-based code.
A public hearing was held in which several residents spoke out against the rezoning. The first was Jason King, who had spoke about the matter in a previous meeting and again brought up the reportedly dilapidated condition of the building.
He said that a previous application for the rezoning had originally requested that the building be rezoned to B-2 but was later changed to T-3. He added that the zoning commission approved recommending it despite objections from residents. He expressed concern that if the building was turned into a business after being rezoned it would impact the neighborhood, particularly with traffic. He urged the council to reject the ordinance.
Afterwards Jacob Meyer and Jason Pugh also expressed concerns about the potential of traffic to affect the area. Pugh asked that if the house was structurally unsound and can’t be renovated what the alternative would be.
Miller then addressed King’s point about the original B-2 designation, saying that it was a suggested change as it would be “too broad.” He clarified that the zoning would not say that the house is sound or unsound but that it would still be subject to standard inspections to determine if it is up to code.
“The zoning approval does not approve that house for use as a business,” he said. “It’ll approve that property as a use but it’ll have to meet the specifications.”
When it came to the vote during the regular meeting the ordinance was not met with a motion, which caused it to fail.
The council also went into an executive session that had been delayed from several previous meetings. The session regarded possible litigation and lasted roughly 30 minutes before the council returned and voted to resolve it. Few details could be spared by City Attorney Scott Barnett other than to say that negotiations were still being worked out.
Susan Carswell spoke during public comments to complain about the way that baseball games have been handled at a park in the city, saying that among those are games have been cancelled or not played after parents paid to enter their children.
She said that a Parks and Recreation board member got into a heated argument with parents and a coach about supposedly using a field for practice without permission and used profanity. She asked what the council could do, to which Miller replied that it would be investigated.
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
