At its January meetings, Birmingham’s Design Review Committee approved three demolition projects across the city, as well as signage, residential projects, and new development and redevelopment projects including in Woodlawn.

The R&J Mechanical Avondale campus demolition project sparked a detailed discussion. The building is a contributing historic structure suffering from neglect and the plans are to raze the structure down to a concrete slab. The owners cited safety concerns as the reason for the demolition.

Committee members questioned those safety claims because similar arguments have been used to justify the deliberate neglect of buildings, they said. Ultimately, the committee approved the demolition, noting the building’s lack of visibility, its location away from the street, and the diminishing historical value due to years of owner neglect.

Projects located in Five Points South and Woodlawn involve former convenience stores and gas stations that have been vacant for years and are deemed nuisance properties. Both demolitions were approved without issue.

The Five Points South site, previously home to Zula’s, will be replaced with an office building similar to neighboring structures. Construction is anticipated to begin later this summer once hurdles are cleared with the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Birmingham Department of Transportation and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

In Woodlawn, the former convenience store site will be incorporated into the redevelopment of the entire block. Woodlawn United is partnering with REV Birmingham to redevelop the block in a phased implementation beginning with this project. They are expecting 18-24 months for development. The other two properties on the site will feature a restaurant and low-density housing.

Signage and New Developments

Some neighborhoods will see businesses with new signage. Downtown, a window sign will be installed along Second Avenue North for the new restaurant, Rêve, opening in the Pizitz building. Tech Row at the John Hand Building will be marked with a blade sign along 20th Street.

The American Cancer Society’s Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge and a new coffee shop in Courtland Vista will also feature new signage in Five Points South. In Lakeview, UAB-St. Vincent’s campus will showcase new signage as part of its rebranding following the UAB acquisition.

The committee approved a Master Signage Plan for the new Lakeview Marina development and Midtown’s Residence Inn near UAB will update its signage to align with its parent company’s rebranding.

Urban Supply, a new development on 13th Street South, returned to the committee for an update on both the single tenant and the overall campus. Committee members reviewed the project in three parts, as the tenant architect and the subdistrict developer opted to present it as a unified proposal.

The committee instructed staff to work with the developer to ensure the necessary information is recorded in the records. Orchestra Partners, the developer, plans to eventually apply for entertainment district designation once the development is complete. Any additional signage for the subdistrict will require a Master Signage Plan and must return to the committee for approval.

The Lakeview Regions Bank branch exterior renovation project was carried over to a future meeting due to concerns over the entry’s architectural elements, pedestrian accessibility, and landscaping. The project was initially presented at the January 8 meeting but did not return to the agenda on January 22.

Residential

The committee denied a request to overturn the neighborhood as well as provide “forgiveness” for a residential renovation project in Norwood. The neighborhood committee denied the project due to existing neighborhood restrictions on vinyl siding and replicating historic window designs. The contractor requested forgiveness for the denied windows that he said were “accidentally” installed before the completion of the permitting process.

The Design Review Committee needs a 2/3 majority vote to overturn a neighborhood ruling. While applicants asking for forgiveness or hardship allowances have not been a frequent issue, committee members acknowledged that it is becoming a problem in Norwood.

On the other hand, the DRC approved residential projects approved by neighborhood committees in Forest Park and Highland Park.

January Committee Decisions by Neighborhood

The DRC meets twice a month, and the decisions it makes regarding structures in historic districts are binding, although the committee will consider applicants who want to alter plans. On January 8 and 22, 2025, the committee considered the following:

Avondale / 41st Street

Demolition – R&J Mechanical, 3150 First Avenue South – The committee approved the demolition on the basis that the structure is 1) not visible from the street, 2) located in the interior of the campus and surrounded by non-contributing structures, and 3) no longer historically valuable due to the neglect and the materials of the surrounding structures.

Downtown

Signage – Pizitz, 1821 Second Avenue North – The committee approved as presented.

Signage – John Hand Building, 9 20th Street North – The committee approved as presented.

Five Points South

Demolition – Zula’s Restaurant, 2125 Highland Avenue South – The committee approved the demolition.

Signage – Cortland Vista, 2173 Highland Avenue South – The committee approved as presented with the conditions that the applicant resubmit the plans to staff with the appropriate heights and the new depth dimension.

Signage – American Cancer Society, 1104 Ireland Way – The committee approved as presented.

Forest Park

Residential – The committee approved as presented.

Highland Park

Residential – The committee approved as presented with the neighborhood conditions.

Lakeview

Exterior Renovation – Regions Bank, 3121 Third Avenue South – The committee thanked Regions Bank for investing in this area and carried over the item until the next meeting.

Signage – UAB/Ascension, 810 St Vincent’s Drive – The committee approved as presented, with one recusal.

Signage – Lakeview Marina, 512 32nd Street South – The committee approved as presented with one recusal and the condition to return with plans for the pole sign.

Midtown

Exterior Renovation – Urban Supply District, 114 13th Street South – The committee approved the Fairway Social project and the subdistrict signage and landscaping as presented.

Signage – Residence Inn, 821 20th Street South – The committee approved as presented.

Norwood

Residential – The committee denied the request.

Woodlawn

Demolition – Former Convenience Store, 5612 First Avenue South – The committee approved the demolition.