Photo by Lexi Coon.
Councilman Lloyd Shelton addresses the Mountain Brook City Council during Hunter Simmons' presentation regarding parking along Culver Road during the Sept. 10 premeeting.
The Mountain Brook City Council met for a brief meeting on the evening of Sept. 10, with one agenda item on the pre-council agenda. Hunter Simmons, GIS manager with Planning, Zoning and Sustainability, spoke about a parking analysis that was done on Culver Road near the construction of the second phase of Lane Parke.
After the council approved an ordinance during the Aug. 27 meeting that created 15-minute parking spaces at the new Regions Bank location, additional neighboring businesses in the Sneaky Pete’s area asked if the construction fence needed to be placed all the way to the curb of the street, as it is now, and if the city could designate another short-term parking place in front of their businesses.
Simmons reviewed the area, and recommended against both moving the fence and providing another space for short-term parking.
The fence, he said, provides a barrier for construction and is not feasible to move it continually throughout construction. “Anything we did there would be temporary, even in the time frame of this project,” Simmons said. Council president Virginia Smith also said she did not like the idea of the fence being pushed back to allow parking, only for trucks and construction vehicles to try to enter and exit the construction zone through the parked cars.
As for additional short-term parking, the analysis Simmons provided during the meeting stated there are 22 spaces along the block of Culver Road in discussion, of which nine are 15-minute spaces near Regions Bank and one is a 15-minute space near Sneaky Pete’s. The others have a “reserved” designation or are limited to four-hour parking.
Currently, another 15-minute parking spot would benefit some, but not all businesses, particularly Icehouse BBQ which is a sit-down family restaurant. Simmons said the owners expressed concern that parking with a designated time frame would not give diners enough time for their meal.
Simmons also noticed that employees of nearby storefronts were parking in spaces in front of businesses, and asked if the city or Chamber of Commerce could potentially look into ways to encourage the employees to park in spaces that are not meant for shoppers.
Regarding the short-term parking places, Simmons suggested the city monitor the situation and make a change in the future if one is needed, to which the council agreed.
Council members also:
- Read two proclamations, one for Constitution Week and one for National Suicide Prevention Awareness.
- Approved the minutes from the Aug. 27 meeting, with one correction.
- Reappointed David P. B. Price to the Park and Recreation Board, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end May 27, 2023.
- Reappointed Chris Mitchell to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end Sept. 25, 2021.
- Reappointed Sim W. Johnson to the Tree Commission, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end Sept. 28, 2021.
- Reappointed Brandon Plowden to the Tree Commission, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end April 13, 2021.
- Reappointed Patrick Carlton to the Emmet O’Neal Library Board, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end Sept. 30, 2022.
- Recommended a retail liquor license to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board for MidiCi Pizza at 270 Rele Street.
- Authorized the execution of a contractor agreement between the city and Lower Brothers Co. Inc., with respect to the resurfacing of tennis courts located at 3020 Overton Road.
The next regular council meeting will take place on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., with the pre-meeting preceding the regular meeting.
