Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Norman Orr is recognized by Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith and the City Council for his 16 years of service as president of the Mountain Brook Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith said she never served on the Board of Zoning Adjustment with Norman Orr, but she’s spoken to lots of people who have and has consistently been told he was possibly the most prepared man of all time.
Smith and the Mountain Brook City Council took time Monday night to honor Orr for his 16 years as president of the board.
Orr served with great integrity and a great eye toward keeping Mountain Brook’s villages and the city as a whole what it is today, Smith said.
“It's not an easy committee,” the mayor said. “I've served on almost every other committee with this city, but BZA is hard because you have to be tough and you have to say no to your friends. You really have served us so beautifully.”
Council President Billy Pritchard echoed Smith’s sentiment.
“You're a special guy to go through that, to be able to say no so many times,” he said.
Orr said he appreciated the help of city staff, including Dana Hazen, the director of planning, building and sustainability. “They made it easy,” he said.
Smith also on Monday night presented a proclamation to Frank Falkenburg and Peyton Falkenburg for their donation of property at 2536 Montevallo Drive to the city. When kudzu on the property is removed, the property will be another green space in the city.
In other business Monday, the City Council rezoned a parking lot on Fairhaven Drive off Overton Road to accommodate expansion of the Overton Village Townhomes.
Currently, there are 10 townhomes on the west side of Fairhaven Drive, and three townhomes on the east side of Fairhaven, city records show. Another five townhomes that are part of Overton Village and face Poe Drive are in the city of Vestavia Hills, said Charlie Beavers, an attorney representing the owners of the parking lot.
The rezoning approved Monday night will allow for three more townhomes in one new building on the east side of Fairhaven, along with associated parking and site improvements.
The proposed townhomes will be consistent with the character and design of the rest of the Overton Village development. Carrie Langston, whose home neighbors the development, asked that a buffer be added to the plan, which development attorney Charlie Beavers assured would be worked out.
The council also heard from residents on and near Round Forest Circle, who want Round Forest Drive closed and/or turned into a cul-de-sac where it runs into neighboring Irondale. Council members said they will see what can be done to make Mountain Brook residents feel better about the situation.
In other business, the council:
- Appointed Will Davis to fill an unexpired term on the Mountain Brook Board of Education
- Agreed to have Street Scapes install a thermoplastic traffic pattern as part of a project on Hoyt Lane
- Authorized the police chief or his designee to destroy weapons, drugs and other evidence and auction other items
The next regular meeting of the City Council is 7 p.m. on Aug. 10.
