Mountain Brook City Council approves office tenant for Lane Parke development

The Mountain Brook City Council on Monday approved a new office tenant for phase one of the Lane Parke development.

The council, in a teleconference, decided to allow Built Capital — a company that helps the builders of large housing developments obtain funding — to put an office there.

Lane Parke is primarily a retail and commercial center, but the development plan allows offices with the approval of the City Council, said Dana Hazen, the city’s director of planning, building and sustainability.

“It is very similar to reviewing an office use in one of the villages,” Hazen told the council during its work session. “It's not that we didn't want any office uses in Lane Parke.”

The 1,000-square-foot office will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will have one or two employees entertaining roughly five to eight clients per day.

John Evans, one of the developers of Lane Parke, spoke in favor of the office use and said Built Capital would occupy the former location of Annabelle's Southern Boutique.

Evans said it has been an "underperforming space" for both the development and the city in terms of sales tax. “I really think it will help the other retailers on the block,” he said.

Levi Mixon, the managing director of Built Capital, said the company really likes the area.

“It is centrally located,” Mixon said. “It is in an incredible part of town. It’s a new area, and we are impressed with the storefront.”

The company will have meetings in the space with home builders and “high net worth individuals,” some of whom will be from out of town, according to a letter from Evans to the council.

Mixon said Built Capital’s out-of-town guests will like the Grand Bohemian Hotel at Lane Parke, as well as the easy access to dining in Mountain Brook and even downtown and Southside.

Council President Virginia Smith said she did not see a problem in granting the request. “I would welcome them to town,” she said. “I think it will bring in people to shop and eat and use the hotel.”

The City Council also on Monday:

• Awarded a 3-year contract for street resurfacing to the low bidder, Dunn Construction of Birmingham. The cost for the first year is estimated to be about $659,000, according to a copy of the resolution. Dunn was among three bidders for the project. The company has done a good job for the city in the past, said City Manager Sam Gaston and Public Works Director Ronnie Vaughn. “We look forward to working with them [Dunn] for another three years,” Vaughn said.
• Gave approval for Nicky Barnes to continue serving on the Mountain Brook Board of Education. Her first term expires in June. Some council members, including Alice Womack and Council President Pro Tem Billy Pritchard, said they have been impressed by Barnes and her performance. “I am thrilled that she is willing to continue on,” Prtichard said.
• Approved a sidewalk cafe application for Craft’s On Church Street eatery, formerly called Miss Dot’s, at 49 Church Street in Crestline Village. The permit is still subject to approval by the city’s inspection staff and the city attorney for compliance with the city code. The owners must also adhere to the recommendations of the Villages Design Review Committee regarding the arrangement of its outside seating.
• Approved an amendment to the construction contract between the city and Morris-Shea Bridge Co. under which the company is to build two retaining walls at the Mountain Brook High School athletic complex. One wall, the longer of the two, has already been built, according to the contract. A second wall, somewhat longer than originally planned, still must be built. Both use interlocking stone blocks, which the city and the contractor realized after the project began was superior to the material originally chosen. The first wall was also built using the new material. 
• Accepted recommendations from the Villages Design Review Committee regarding concrete options for the south roundabout in Mountain Brook Village.
• Amended the city's employee handbook with respect to firefighter holiday leave.
• Adopted an investment policy statement for the City of Mountain Brook Section 115 Trust Agreement, which deals with medical and other benefits for city retirees.

The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m. The meeting may be conducted at City Hall or via teleconference, Smith said.