Council approves rezoning for Lawson State campus expansion near Winona Elementary site

The Birmingham City Council voted to approve zoning case ZAC2015-8, clearing the way for Lawson State Community College to expand its campus.

Tim Gambrell, the city's zoning administrator, told the council the case would rezone 12 parcels from R3 single-family to B6 health and institutional to accommodate planned office and institutional uses and that neighborhood associations and planning bodies had recommended approval. Gambrell said the planning commission and the council's planning and zoning committee had voted earlier to recommend approval.

Applicant Dale Fritz, a landscape architect working with Lawson State, said the college has acquired property that included the former Winona Elementary School and is developing plans for a roughly $10 million student center with facilities to serve both students and surrounding neighborhoods. "What I'm here today is part of a request to rezone land that's currently residential, R3, to B6," Fritz said, noting the campus expansion and planned community amenities.

With no public opposition at the hearing and committee recommendations in favor, the council moved and approved the rezoning. The transcript records the motion, the presentation and the vote result as "Item passes," but the excerpt does not provide a complete roll-call tally in the meeting minutes presented.

Next steps: city staff and the applicant will proceed with implementation of the rezoning and with project planning; demolition and site-preparation needs were referenced elsewhere in the meeting's neighborhood-funding discussion.