Birmingham Council OKs Rezoning To Allow Event Venue In Kingston
Council President William Parker and President Pro-Tem Wardine Alexander
The Birmingham City Council approved a rezoning request Tuesday to bring a new, private event center to the city’s Kingston neighborhood despite concerns about its lack of compatibility with the city’s long-range land-use plan and neighborhood demands that the venue not sell alcohol.
The center will be part of a three-unit property at 4700 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. Owner Abdul Alammari told councilors he had spent more than $500,000 to renovate the building, and the other two units would be rented out as commercial space. But for the property to include an event space, it would have to be rezoned from CB-1 Contingency Neighborhood Business District to a C-2 General Commercial District.
The city’s long-range land-use plan for the area states that the property should transition “toward a more mixed-use low designation” because of its proximity to residential areas, said Katrina Thomas, the city’s interim deputy director of planning, engineering and permits.
But some councilors noted that the surrounding area already was filled with commercial businesses.
“I’m a little perplexed why this doesn’t fit,” said District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn. “There’s a Holiday Inn, like, three blocks down, and there’s a trucking stop across the street. There’s all sorts of businesses up and down this area of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard … Why doesn’t this fit?”
Thomas agreed that an event center would not be “completely inconsistent with the surrounding land uses” as they currently stand.
Approval of the rezoning also came with a Q condition, or qualifying condition, from the Kingston neighborhood association, which had voted to approve Alammari’s request as long as alcohol was not sold at the venue. Event hosts, however, would be allowed to provide alcohol for free.
While Alammari said he did not intend to request a liquor license for the venue, District 8 Councilor Steven Hoyt called the neighborhood association’s conditions “asinine.”
“I’ve seen this same community give liquor licenses to folk, and they’re inundated with liquor places,” he said. “What I’m saying is, it’s a neighborhood that’s schizophrenic. You apply rules here, but you don’t apply them there! Be consistent!”
Hoyt attempted to change the rezoning ordinance to remove that Q condition but was reminded by the city’s law department that to do so would require the city to readvertise the zoning changes and schedule another public hearing before a vote could be held.
He acquiesced, voting against the rezoning along with Councilors Valerie Abbott and Crystal Smitherman. The no votes were narrowly outnumbered, though, with the remaining councilors who were present — O’Quinn, Hunter Williams, John Hilliard and Wardine Alexander — voting in favor of the rezoning.
Asia markets soar, after President Trump pauses global tariffs
Asia markets followed Wall Street's gains after Trump announced a pause on higher global tariffs, but investors are still looking to Beijing for reaction.
‘Black Mirror’ creator pulls from reality in dystopian season 7, out now
Black Mirror season 7 is out now on Netflix. Charlie Brooker, the show's creator, says he's "worrying in what I hope is an entertaining way" in an interview with NPR's A Martínez.
A former hostage struggles with the return home
Paul Whelan was part of the largest prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the end of the Cold War. He says bureaucracy in the U.S still has him imprisoned.
As measles spreads, federal budget cuts force closure of vaccine clinics
Federal funding cuts, though temporarily blocked by a judge, have upended vaccination outreach across the country, including in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas, and Washington state.
Doggles and dog booties: Anchorage residents prep pets for volcanic explosion
Mount Spurr, which scientists say is likely to erupt in the coming weeks or months, is about 80 miles west of Anchorage. But ash clouds could reach the state's biggest city.
Where did U.S. humanities grants go? To projects from a baseball film to AI research
From AI research to historical preservation, programs funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities reach every corner of the U.S. Now the government has terminated those grants.
