Kelli S. Hewitt
Mayor Graham Smith
Mayor Graham Smith
One of the greatest privileges of serving as your mayor is working alongside five dedicated City Council members who care deeply about Mountain Brook. While many of the issues we consider are straightforward, others require months, or even years, of thoughtful discussion, research and public input before a decision can responsibly be made.
Our recently adopted Home Occupation Ordinance is one of those issues. For simplicity, “home occupation” refers to running or operating a business out of one’s home.
For more than two years, the City Council, Planning Commission, city staff and residents have devoted hundreds of hours to studying how best to modernize an ordinance that affects both homeowners and neighborhoods. This was not a simple “yes” or “no” decision. It required countless public meetings, ad hoc work sessions, one-on-one conversations with residents, public hearings, legal review and careful consideration of competing viewpoints.
On one side were residents who wished to operate small businesses from their homes with reasonable flexibility. On the other were neighbors concerned about preserving the quiet residential character that has made Mountain Brook such a special place to live. Both perspectives were genuine, thoughtful and deserving of consideration.
The ordinance that emerged reflects our best effort to strike that balance.
Among the key changes are:
- Protecting neighborhood character by reaffirming that homes must remain primarily residential, with businesses remaining clearly incidental to residential use
- Allowing some limited instruction-based businesses, such as music, academic, technical or athletic lessons, with no more than two students present at one time by right
- Creating a conditional use process for certain businesses seeking to serve additional clients from a residence, requiring a public hearing before the planning commission
- Requiring neighborhood notification and providing nearby property owners an opportunity to be heard before larger home occupations are approved
- Establishing annual reviews and enforcement provisions so approved businesses continue operating in accordance with the conditions under which they were approved
- Maintaining safeguards that limit noise, traffic, parking impacts, outdoor activity, signage, deliveries and other commercial characteristics that could negatively affect surrounding homes
No ordinance is perfect, and no decision of this complexity satisfies everyone completely. That is simply the reality of governing a community where reasonable people often have different opinions about the best path forward.
What I hope every resident can appreciate is the process. Good government isn’t measured only by the final vote; rather, it is measured by the care, transparency and diligence that lead to that vote.
I want to sincerely thank every member of the City Council for the extraordinary amount of time they invested in this ordinance. These are unpaid public servants who spent hundreds of hours studying the issue, listening to residents, asking difficult questions and working toward a solution they believe will best serve our community.
These decisions are never easy, but they are made with one goal in mind: preserving the exceptional quality of life that makes Mountain Brook home.
For complete ordinance language, please visit our city website: mtnbrook.org.
