The Real Deal

By Sharman Egan

Lagniappe columnist

For the last few weeks the e-mails have been flying around Oakleigh faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the backstretch at Talladega. It seems a new commercial development is planned on the west side of S. Broad Street between Selma and Elmira, and it has neighbors up in arms.

First, the facts: I’m told an out-of-town developer is planning to build a Texaco service station/convenience store with a small strip center. The development is still in the early stages; the property is under contract, but has not closed yet. The city hasn’t received any plans from the developer (although they did apparently receive quite a few phone calls and e-mails after the “Texaco Coming Soon” sign went up a few weeks back).

It appears there’s nothing to stop the development, from a legal standpoint. According to the city’s Urban Planning Department, most of the lot is zoned B-2, which would allow a gas station, convenience store and the type of shops that might be in a small strip center. A smaller portion lies within the Oakleigh Garden Historic District and is zoned for residential use. The Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and the Historic Development Commission’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) would have to approve plans for that portion, so it seems unlikely the developer could put any commercial development there. This is all based on a preliminary review; the department will do a more detailed review after the developer submits plans.

Sounds OK so far. Let’s face it, that section of Broad Street could use a little help. So what’s all the fuss about?

The lot sits on the southeast edge of the Oakleigh Garden District. Over the last several years, this area has been the center of activity for Oakleigh’s revitalization. Historic preservationists have been pushing Oakleigh’s border southward towards Texas Street, and this development sits right in their path.

The lot is also along the route of the planned Bring Back Broad initiative. This project has the backing of Sen. Richard Shelby and the Mobile City Council among others, and the feds have allocated $1 million of our tax dollars for it. The goal of this project is to transform Broad Street between the GM&O Building and Brookley from its current NASCAR-like character into a bike- and pedestrian-friendly route all the way down to the proposed bay-front Arlington Park. Current plans call for reducing Broad Street from five lanes to three, adding two pocket parks and biking and walking trails along both sides of the street.

So the developer’s plans fly in the face of what some pretty powerful people have in mind.

“It runs counter to the whole thing we’re trying to do on Broad,” said Palmer Hamilton, a Mobile lawyer and president of the Oakleigh Venture Revolving Fund (ORVF), a group dedicated to the preservation of Mobile’s historic neighborhoods. Hamilton says his knowledge of the project is secondhand, but what he has heard concerns him. “We would be interested in buying the property for residential use,” Hamilton said, speaking for the Revolving Fund.

The Oakleigh neighborhood has a strong tradition of politicking successfully for historic preservation. “I think the neighborhood would be interested in all avenues to stop this type of development. We’ve fought similar types of development successfully,” Hamilton said. “I’m not opposed to commercial development,” he goes on to explain. “I like mixed use, but this does not sounds like the type of New Urban development we want.”

What does all this mean? If the folks in Oakleigh really want to stop this thing, can they? At this stage, it seems unlikely the development could be halted through any type of legal process. But once the developer understands the importance of this lot to the neighborhood and the powerful opposition to his plans, perhaps he would consider alternatives or even selling the property to the OVRF.

There is certainly an opportunity for neighbors to influence the development. They will have a say at several stages: when the developer applies to subdivide the lot in two parcels, one residential and one commercial; when he submits plans to the BZA and/or ARB; and if he plans to apply for a beer and wine license.

So, if you’re one of the folks who thinks this isn’t such a great idea, what can you do? First, you can call or e-mail William Carroll, the City Council representative for that area. E-mails are likely to have more impact since he can pass them on directly to the powers that be. Second, you can get involved by attending any upcoming BZA and ARB meetings on the planned development.

Want to express your opinion?

Contact William Carroll at 404-4107 or e-mail carrollw@cityofmobile.org.

For more information on BZA meetings, go to http://urban.cityofmobile.org/urban_boa/zoning_board.php or call 208-7198.

For more information on ARB meetings, go to http://www.mobilehd.org/meetings.php or call 208-7281.

Or e-mail me at sharman@sharmanegan.com, and I will pass along your thoughts.

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