The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission tonight approved a site plan for eight pickleball courts and a fitness court at Veterans Park.
The commission also recommended that Hoover City Council approve plans to convert a building along Lorna Road for the Park Crest Events Center expansion and approve plans for eight houses within of the International Park office block off Acton Road.
The eight pickleball courts and the fitness court at Veterans Park should be between the sand volleyball courts and the lake on the property, planner Mac Martin told the zoning board.
The fitness court would be a 40-by-40-foot mat with full-body workout stations, Martin said.
Sample drawings provided at the Zoning Board showed workout stations designed for core exercises, squats, push-ups, lunges, pull-ups, agility moves, and turns.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama provided a $50,000 grant to help with the fitness field, Martin said.
EXPANSION OF THE PARK CREST EVENTS CENTER
Meanwhile, Gary Beard, the owner of the Park Crest event center near Little Valley Road, has purchased an adjacent vacant building and parking lot between Little Valley Road and Lorna Road and wants to expand his event center options there.
The building at 2970 Lorna Road has housed many entities over the years, including a car dealership, a home health care business, and a branch of Faulkner University, but it has been vacant for years.
The most recent plan approved by the city last year was for a company called Birmingham Luxury Motors to open a used car dealership on the property, which contains around 19,900 square feet of office space and parking space spread over on 3.9 acres. But this plan never materialized.
Beard said he purchased the property and wanted to convert the building into another event meeting space called Coach House. Just up the hill is a 20,000 square foot events center called The Carriage House, managed by Park Crest and opened in April 2016.
The Coach House will accommodate crowds of 600 to 650 people, which is more than the Carriage House’s event spaces can hold, Beard said. He will be able to use the Carriage House kitchen space to serve both venues, he said.
Business for the Park Crest facility has been strong and it is poised to expand, he said.
Park Crest also has an outdoor garden designed for outdoor weddings and events and a 5,000 square foot building that once housed the Grammas restaurant but has been converted for smaller receptions, parties and events. ‘company. However, Beard said his plan is to demolish that building, possibly purchase additional adjacent property, and create an “urban resort” that includes housing where people can stay.
That proposal is still being formulated, and Beard said he would likely approach the City of Hoover to discuss potential ways the city’s new downtown redevelopment authority can help with real estate redevelopment incentives.
He currently has a total of about 11.5 acres, he said.
The Coach House plan is now before Hoover City Council for review, likely in July. Beard said he will likely go ahead with interior demolition work and, if he gets council approval, hopes to open the doors of the Coach House in October or November.
INTERNATIONAL PARK
The city council will also consider a recommendation from the zoning board to allow one single-family residence and seven townhouses in the International Park office complex. Mike Moseley of the Moseley Group’s request is to amend the zoning plan of the nearly 9-acre property he has a purchase agreement to allow a single family home for him and his wife on 6.73 acres and seven houses in row on 2.14 acres.
Currently, the International Park has a total of 84 acres zoned for office buildings, 14 acres zoned for commercial use, and no land zoned for residential use. The park has Interstate 459 and Acton Road to the north and the Cahaba River and Old Rocky Ridge Road to the south.
The park is approximately 50% developed, including four office buildings and the Birmingham Recovery Center for alcohol and drug treatment. Park tenants include the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders, Byrom Building and TE Stevens Co.
Moseley said he and his wife fell in love with the property when they saw it and thought it would be an ideal location for a home along the Cahaba River.
Each of the townhouses he wants to build would be built parallel to the river rather than perpendicular to it, providing a better view of the river, he said.
His plan is to protect much of the “old growth forest” on the property which includes 40 to 60 year old trees, deer and large hawks, he said. “It’s nice.”
The concept of mixing residential uses with the office park is part of the city’s overall plan goal of providing more “work-live” environments for the city’s office parks.
Martin, the city planner, noted that the founders of International Park also envisioned part of the park for residential use.
If the city council approves the plan, Moseley said he would like to start residential ownership as soon as possible and start cleaning in September or October.
The Home Builders Association has discussed that the organization sometimes hosts parties at its facilities and does not want to hear any complaints about this from people after moving into nearby homes. The group of homebuilders asked for something to be included in the residential property deeds to inform buyers of the situation, but the planning commissioners decided not to include it in their recommendation to council, saying that there are already rules regarding limitations for games with live music.
In other business Monday night, the zoning board recommended amending the city’s zoning ordinance to allow pools in side yards as long as setbacks are maintained and pools are closed, and to allow fences in front yards in places other than busy and “planned” thoroughfares. urban development areas”.
